Deterioration
by hummerhouse
Summary: Agent John Bishop needs a new body very quickly. Without Baxter Stockman to create it for him, there is only one other genius he can turn to. Content rated for language, violence, mature themes, and mild TCest.
1. Prologue

Deterioration  
Prologue

"The cells are breaking down on a molecular level and they are doing so at an accelerated rate, sir." The man in the white lab coat eyed his boss with growing alarm as he delivered the bad news.

"Yes, I can see that for myself, Dr. Garcia," Bishop said, studying the computer readout.

Pushing his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose, Bishop began to ask a question when the pain hit him again. The skin on his back seemed to peel away from his spine and crawl with agonizing slowness to his shoulders.

Fists clenched and jaw tight, Bishop rode out the effects of his body's tissue rejection. The doctor started to reach out to him but thought better of it and remained perfectly still.

"Agent Bishop . . . ." the doctor began.

"How long until complete deterioration?" Bishop asked through clenched teeth.

"The computer models all show that total molecular breakdown will occur within sixty-five to seventy-eight hours," Dr. Garcia responded.

"Let's say sixty to be on the safe side," Bishop said. "What of Dr. Stockman's protocols?"

Dr. Garcia's lips curled in disdain. "Flawed. It appears he made assumptions rather than relying on empirical methodology."

"He always did think too highly of himself," Bishop murmured. "What are we left with?"

"The stored cellular tissue is unusable in its present form," Dr. Garcia said. "It has begun to degrade inside the vacuum of the stasis chamber. The cloned base model is intact, but completely useless without the living tissue needed to fully generate it."

"So what you're saying doctor, is that within sixty hours I will cease to exist unless I find a host body?" Bishop asked.

Dr. Garcia blinked rapidly, his concern apparent. "We might possibly be able to use the cerebral transference device to capture your mental essence and hold it, but I cannot guarantee there would be no disbursement of energy."

"That is not an acceptable alternative," Bishop said. "There is no chance for even a temporary body?"

"Too many factors are involved to make that viable," Dr. Garcia answered. "A temporary vessel constructed from the unstable tissue might simply, for lack of a better term, _melt_ on the table just as you entered it. If we could pin down the genetic stabilization key it might be possible to rejuvenate the tissue and infuse it with the necessary coding to prevent future deterioration. Dr. Stockman's original theory was brilliant, he just did not test it enough."

"Always in a hurry to receive accolades without actual accomplishment," Bishop observed. "Unfortunately I must now copy that tendency of his to rush things. How much time will you need to develop a way to stabilize the tissue?"

The doctor's mouth popped open and then shut, his face growing red. "I don't know that I can do it actually," Dr. Garcia finally admitted. "The technology involved is beyond my expertise, as is the raw science. Possibly Dr. Stockman could achieve it."

"Dr. Stockman is not available," Bishop cut in sharply. "Surely there is another scientist of his caliber, preferably one who is mentally stable, who can be brought in to work on this?"

"I have already made discreet inquiries. None of the other scientists in this field have Dr. Stockman's level of knowledge, experience, or intellect," Dr. Garcia said.

Bishops eyes narrowed in thought. "It seems that if I am to survive I will need to find a genius," Bishop said slowly. "One who I can trust and who is not certifiable."

"Sir, I don't know . . . ." the doctor started to say before trailing off at the look on Bishop's face.

"But I do," Bishop told him. "I do know of someone who is more brilliant than the great Dr. Stockman. Someone who is young, impressionable, and has a very high moral standard. Unfortunately, he hates my guts."

"Perhaps if I spoke to him, appealed to his scientific curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Surely a colleague could not turn down such a request," Dr. Garcia offered.

"I'm afraid he could," Bishop said with an amused smile. "You see, I tried to dissect him once. Now I'm rather glad I failed. However, that incident will not dispose him to be sympathetic to my current plight."

"That is problematic," Dr. Garcia said neutrally.

Bishop laughed humorlessly. "Oh, the task of engaging his assistance isn't insurmountable my good doctor. It simply requires the correct bait and an offer he won't be able to refuse."

Stepping over to the communications console, Bishop tapped the keyboard briskly. The large monitor above it flickered to life to show him a man dressed in military garb.

"Agent Bishop, sir," the man responded swiftly.

"Major, activate beta epsilon nine immediately," Bishop ordered.

"Yes sir," the major responded, snapping a salute as the screen darkened.

Bishop turned around, the glint in his eyes visible through his dark glasses as he said, "Tonight we go hunting."

TBC…..


	2. Part 1

Deterioration  
part 1

"I don't like this, Leo," Raph said as he pressed against the vent pipe on a rooftop not too far from the lair.

"I know what you mean," Leo replied, eyes scanning the horizon.

"It's too damn quiet. It's a Friday night for fuck's sake; the sidewalks should be showing some signs of life. It's almost like everybody got some secret message ta stay inside and we got left out of the loop."

"Maybe a quarantine?" Leo asked. "The area of town we just came from is bustling with activity."

"It ain't no quarantine," Raph said grimly. "People lock themselves in for one reason around here, and that's 'cause they know a couple of gangs are about ta go at it."

"Who would take on the Purple Dragons?" Leo held up a hand as Raph started to say something. "I meant other than us."

Raph's grin caught the moon and reflected its light. "There's always some gang who thinks they're bigger and badder then everyone else. That's just how the animals play, Leo."

"Not on my watch," Leo said with determination. "If they want to go off to an island somewhere and beat the snot out of each other I have no problem with that. It's when they start shooting at each other in the middle of the street that I get angry. Too many innocent civilians manage to get hurt."

"So okay, what do ya' wanna do about it? While we're standing here jawing they could be having their little showdown three blocks over," Raph pointed out.

"I wish Mike and Don were here so we could cover more ground, but they wouldn't have time to reach us now," Leo said thoughtfully. "Looks like we split up. Make sure your shell cell is handy and call if you see anything."

"Likewise Fearless," Raph said, preparing to depart. "Don't try ta take on everybody by yourself; I know ya' get hell bent on doing that sometimes."

"You're one to talk," Leo said with a quick smile. "Meet back here in twenty?"

"Sounds like a plan," Raph agreed as he dashed off.

Leo's sense of foreboding only increased after Raph had gone. Not only was it quiet, but it seemed that an entire electrical grid was on the fritz. There were no lights shining through any of the windows in the nearby apartment complex; in fact, there were no lights on anywhere along the street that Leo was patrolling.

He was on the verge of calling Raph when movement on a nearby rooftop caught his eye. Fading into deep shadow, Leo concentrated his attention on that spot and waited for several long, tedious minutes.

Once again he saw something and this time it was recognizable as a human form. Whoever it was darted to the edge of the roof, looked down into the street, and backed away into a hidden alcove.

It appeared that Raph was right; this was beginning to look like one gang attempting to ambush another. Rather than wait for it to happen, Leo decided he'd prefer to hear the details straight from the horse's mouth.

Since he wasn't diving into a fight, he chose not to update Raph and take a chance on his phone call giving him away. Contact with his brother could wait until after Leo found out exactly what was going on.

His leap to the next rooftop was as silent as his landing. Remaining in a crouched position, Leo used all of his senses to determine if there was more than one person waiting in the shadows. After a concentrated moment, he could pick up the sound of someone breathing and then the beat of their heart.

All signs pointed to a lone man and Leo moved towards him slowly.

The spotlight that hit him suddenly was completely unexpected, catching him full in the eyes. Instinctively, he backed away from the source, which was on a completely different rooftop. Realizing he'd walked into a trap, he spun around to go back the way he'd come.

Another spotlight hit his eyes, dazzling him to blindness. Fully trained to fight without his vision, Leo unsheathed his katanas and prepared for an attack.

Something whistled as it flew through the air towards him and Leo twisted away from it, hearing the object hit the ground a foot to his left. Almost simultaneously something embedded itself in his neck and he dropped one of his swords to clutch at the object.

Still unable to see, he yanked what felt like a dart out of his skin and threw it down, but then his hand wouldn't listen to his command to come back up.

Leo's arm felt heavy, like a weight was attached to it, dragging it down. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the buzzing sound he was starting to hear, he vaguely felt the fingers on his other hand release their hold on his second sword.

A moment later the rooftop came up to meet him as he sank into unconsciousness.

Raph didn't see any stirrings of life on his circuit and quickly turned back to where he'd left Leo. His brother hadn't called him, but there was always the possibility that he was involved in something and just hadn't had the chance yet.

He was still three blocks away when he saw a black helicopter approaching a building near where he was to meet Leo. It circled the rooftop once and then hovered.

Gut clenching with dread, Raph started to run. The lights from the copter showed him a basket being lowered and then the silhouettes of a half dozen men as they bent down to place something in it.

Raph grabbed for his phone, punching in the code to reach Leo as he ran, hoping desperately to hear his brother's voice. The phone had only rung three times when Raph knew his worst fears were coming true.

The basket ascended into the bowels of the helicopter and the men made use of a rope ladder as they swiftly climbed up after it. Once they were all inside, the copter lifted up higher and then banked into a turn as it flew away.

"Leo!" Raph yelled at the top of his lungs, leaping onto the roof just below the departing helicopter. "Leo!" he shouted again, wrenching his vocal cords as he strained to be heard over the noise of the copter's blades.

The phone in his hand still rang, forgotten as Raph tried to keep up with the copter, barely paying attention to where he was going in his blind panic. When it was finally apparent that he wouldn't catch it, Raph slammed into a brick chimney in order to halt his momentum.

Bent over, air rasping in his lungs, Raph vaguely heard a voice coming from the phone. When it registered, he lifted the shell cell to his ear slit and croaked hopefully, "Leo?"

_"Your brother is currently unable to talk, Raphael,"_ the voice of Agent John Bishop told him.

"Bishop," Raph growled, "ya' better not hurt him or I'll find ya' and tear your guts out through your nose."

_"As picturesque as always,"_ Bishop said as he laughed lightly. _"Leonardo is unharmed at the moment, but as you know from our prior interactions, I make no guarantees."_

"What do you want?" Raph asked, barely containing a snarl.

_"I could say that I want to take Leonardo apart piece by piece to see what makes him tick,"_ Bishop taunted.

"You touch him . . . ." Raph began.

_"But actually I have another purpose for taking your sibling,"_ Bishop interrupted.

"Tell me," Raph said shortly.

_"I will, in exactly one hour,"_ Bishop said. _"I will call back on this phone. However, I do not wish to speak to you at that time. I want to talk to Donatello."_

"Ya' what?" Raph asked, surprised.

_"Donatello,"_ Bishop repeated carefully, as though speaking to a child, _"your smart brother. If he does not answer this phone, then I'm going to quickly find out exactly how your shells are fused to your bodies by removing Leonardo's. Without the aid of anesthesia."_

"He'll answer," Raph promised.

_"Excellent,"_ Bishop said and hung up.

Raph stared at the now silent phone and inhaled deeply. Whatever Bishop was up to, it did not bode well for their family. Bishop had Leo and was using that as a way to get to Don, for some currently unknown reason.

In an hour Bishop's motivations would no longer be a mystery and then they'd know just how deep the shit actually was. Raph turned to head back to the lair so that he could tell his family what had happened and to wait for Bishop's call.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo woke to a mouth so dry it seemed as though it was full of cotton and a mid-section so sore it felt like it had been run over by a truck.

Rather than opening his eyes, Leo decided to play possum in the hopes of learning something about his situation. Tensing his arms slightly told him that he was strapped down to a hard surface. The knowledge that he'd been caught by Bishop told him that he was probably on a dissection table.

The murmur of voices nearby let him know that he wasn't alone, but they were speaking in an undertone and Leo could only pick out intermittent words. He was sure that one of those voices belonged to Bishop himself.

"He's awake, sir," a man said.

Shoe heels striking a hard surface indicated that someone was approaching.

"It's no use pretending to be unconscious, Leonardo," Bishop said from a position quite close to him. "There are electrodes taped to your body in order to monitor your vital signs."

Leo opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times to clear his vision. The first thing he saw was Bishop leaning over him and he wished he'd kept his eyes closed.

"Where is my brother?" Leo asked gruffly.

Bishop smiled. "I can always count on you turtles to be more concerned for each other than about yourselves. If he did as instructed, Raphael is with your family. My trap was intended to catch only one of you; I didn't much care which."

As much as he dreaded the answer, Leo had to ask, "What do you want from me?"

"Actually, I want quite a lot," Bishop said as he stood back and straightened his tie. "You are the bait that I need to enlist the aid of your brother Donatello, amongst other things."

"Donny?" Leo's brow furrowed. "What do you want with Don?"

"I need Donatello's intellect," Bishop said. "He is the only one capable of deciphering and duplicating Baxter Stockman's work with genetic clones. As difficult as it is to believe, geniuses are difficult to come by."

"Why don't you just use Stockman himself?" Leo asked.

"Because the doctor has disappeared," Bishop told him, his deep voice indicating annoyance. "He has managed to wear out his welcome with the Foot, the Mob, and the Purple Dragons, all of whom would love nothing more than to put an end to his existence. My own displeasure with him pales in comparison however I still have use of his mind. As much as we've searched, and we do know how to search, none of my people have been able to locate him. He may be hiding or dead, I really don't know which."

"Donatello isn't going to help you build an army of super soldiers," Leo said grimly.

Bishop took Leo's shell cell out of his pocket and said, "That isn't what I need him for, though I beg to differ with you. Donatello will do anything I ask as long as I have you."

As much as Leo wanted to argue that fact, he was afraid that it was true. He was also afraid that Don would knowingly walk into a trap just to attempt a rescue.

Leo saw Bishop glance up at a clock and then open the shell cell. Stepping away from Leo, he moved to stand in front of a control panel as he placed the phone to his ear. Nearby on a small metal table lay Leo's katanas along with all of his gear, including his mask.

"Ah Donatello, I see that Raphael was prompt in delivering my message," Bishop said in a pleased tone of voice.

Leo could only hear one side of the conversation, but could easily guess the other.

"He is unharmed for now," Bishop relayed, the implication very clear. He paused for a moment to listen; then said, "Very well. I will let him tell you himself."

Walking back over to Leo, Bishop put the phone close to his face and said, "Tell your brother that you're still in one piece."

"Donny? Whatever he wants, don't do it, do you hear me? Don't you come after me," Leo ordered.

Chuckling, Bishop pulled the phone away and then watched Leo's face as he returned to his conversation with Don.

"There, he sounds quite normal doesn't he? I'm sure I needn't tell you the consequences of obeying your brother's rash order do I?" Bishop asked.

His smirk told Leo that whatever Don was saying, Bishop had anticipated it.

"What I want most is you, Donatello," Bishop responded. "I need a scientist of your caliber to construct a new cloned body for me. Due to certain genome abnormalities, this body that Dr. Stockman created is breaking down, although he swore that he had found a solution to that particular problem."

Bishop listened for a moment, his brow knitting in concentration. "I understand that you have no experience with this particular branch of science. That makes no difference; Dr. Stockman's notes are comprehensive and complete and so are these facilities. The work you did toward creating the cure for the mutant outbreak was beyond brilliant, as your friend Leatherhead attested to himself. I believe you are fully capable of assimilating the data and finding a solution for my problem."

Leo pulled at his restraints when he heard Don's voice coming through the phone. He couldn't make out the words, but he knew from the tone that Don had already decided not to obey him.

"If you give me your word, Donatello, not only will I free your brother, I will gladly deliver him to wherever you say," Bishop said smugly.

"Don, no!" Leo shouted loudly as he began to struggle in earnest.

Bishop only glanced at him in amusement as he awaited Donatello's decision.

"I assure you that I have no interest in you beyond what I've already asked, nor do I have any desire to invite your wrath," Bishop said. "I understand exactly what you are capable of doing in retaliation if I don't keep faith with you, Donatello."

He waited again, smiling slightly as he listened and then said, "Of course. Please take some time to discuss this with your family. Just don't take too long; time is of the essence."

Bishop paused once more to listen, tapping his foot as he did so. Leo had stopped trying to escape his bonds and lay still, his eyes fixed on Bishop's face, and he saw the man grimace in sudden pain.

Knuckles turning white as he clenched the phone, several lines of skin lifted from Bishop's forehead and began to pulsate, expanding into bubbles that floated down to his cheeks. They grew to the size of marbles and just as Leo was sure they were going to burst, they settled again.

He'd mastered himself once more when he answered Don, "Yes, I know the location. Leonardo and I will meet you there in two hours. I promise to only bring two other men with me; one as my driver and the other as a bodyguard. You'll note that I haven't asked that you restrict the number of guardians you bring."

There was a shorter pause this time and then Bishop said, "Be assured that this is merely a one-time business proposition. I will uphold my end of our verbal agreement. Once our business is concluded, you will all go back to your lives and I will continue with my work. I have no intention of double crossing you."

The conversation appeared to have reached an end because Bishop closed the shell cell and set in on the table with the rest of Leo's possessions. Leo shut his eyes and worked to come to grips with the devils deal his brother had just made because of him.

Bishop's voice opened Leo's eyes again. The man was in deep conversation with two people who wore lab coats and Leo could only guess they were scientists. One of them glanced at Leo and then back at Bishop, nodding his agreement to something.

Both of the scientists took up positions at the control panel and began working over it. The hum of electricity filled the air and lights began to come on around the room.

Walking up next to his captive once more, Bishop began to divest himself of his clothing and Leonardo froze. Of all the scenarios that had run through his mind, being strapped to a table while Bishop got naked nearby wasn't one of them. Intent on not allowing the man to see his concern Leo narrowed his eyes, determined that whatever happened, Bishop would get as little satisfaction from it as possible.

It was something of a surprise to him when Bishop jumped onto the table next to him and lay flat on his back. One of the scientists removed Bishop's glasses and pocketed them before stepping back over to the control panel.

As Leo watched, a round metal ball came down from the ceiling on a mechanical arm to hover between he and Bishop. Attached to the ball were two tubes; one pointed at Bishop's head and the other at Leo's.

"I would tell you what's going to happen, Leonardo," Bishop said in an even voice. "But never having tried this before, I really can't. I will say this much, it's going to hurt."

"You made an agreement with Donatello," Leo said through gritted teeth. "If he doesn't see me he isn't going to help you with anything."

"Then there is absolutely nothing to worry about," Bishop told him. "I fully intend to uphold my end of the agreement. In two hours, Donatello and the rest of your family are going to see you."

His upraised finger was apparently a signal because the metal ball began to glow.

"Well, I should rephrase that," Bishop said. "They're going to see your body."

Before Leo could say anything further, intense blinding pain hit him hard and he fell into unconsciousness.

TBC…..


	3. Part 2

Deterioration  
part 2

Leo woke slowly; his eyelids drifting open of their own accord. The view of the ceiling was just as it had been when Bishop's machine had knocked him out, so he knew that he was still a captive.

When Leo tried to move his head his vision swam and he had to close his eyes quickly. Nauseas and disoriented, Leo discovered that his eyes were the only part of his body obeying commands. For a frightening moment, Leo wondered if somehow his spinal cord had been severed.

_"This body is remarkably fit and resilient,"_ Bishop said from somewhere quite close.

Leo's eyes flew open again in expectation of seeing Bishop hovering over him once more. The only thing Leo saw was one of the scientists staring at him curiously.

"Agent Bishop?" the man asked.

It almost seemed as though the man was addressing him and Leo frowned. With an effort he managed to turn his head towards the table where Bishop had lain.

Bishop was gone but the table was covered in a gelatinous brown substance. The smell of it hit his nostrils and made him grimace.

_"The residuals are always rather unappealing, wouldn't you agree?"_ Bishop asked.

Once more Leo's eyes darted around as he tried to locate the owner of that voice but he still didn't see Bishop, although the man sounded as though he were standing right next to Leo.

_"Let's try a little experiment,"_ Bishop said in his most unctuous tone. _"Something simple I think."_

A slight pain blossomed inside Leo's head and then the fingers on one hand lifted.

The movement was jerky, as though the digits were being controlled by a marionette. Leo had given no conscious thought to lifting them, but now he did concentrate on lowering them.

As soon as he thought it, he felt another will push back against his; another consciousness attempting to control his body.

That's when Leonardo realized where Bishop was.

"No," Leo whispered, his initial panic giving him control over his vocal chords.

_"Yes,"_ came the mocking reply; Bishop's voice from inside Leo's head.

_"You transferred your mind into me?" _Leo asked with his mind since he still seemed to have control over that part of himself. _"How?"_

_"Most beings on this planet only use a very small percentage of their brains, Leonardo,"_ Bishop answered. _"The transference machine looks for an idle energy signature; an area of the brain's electrical synapse that are not firing, and then transfers the consciousness from another location into the idle area. I know that you Turtles are a bit more enlightened than common humans, but I took the calculated risk that there would still be space for me to occupy."_

_"I thought that you wanted Donatello to build you a body of your own,"_ Leo said in some confusion.

_"I do,"_ Bishop said. _"I thought about taking him and transferring my consciousness into his body to force him to build one for me. That would have been my preference because then I could have guarded against any attempts at sabotage. The problem is that your brother is much too intelligent; in fact, he is off the charts. I had no way of ensuring that his brain wouldn't reject me or even him for that matter. Both of those scenarios would have been catastrophic."_

_"So you chose to transfer yourself into one of his brothers,"_ Leo said darkly.

_"As you can see, I had to move quickly,"_ Bishop said. _"This choice serves two purposes; it provides me with a body and it will give your brother an incentive to work quickly. At least assuming he wants you back."_

_"What makes you think I won't try to force you out?"_ Leo asked.

Bishop laughed lightly. _"You may certainly try. The difficulty for you is that I am occupying a portion of your brain that you don't normally put to use. Since you have no practice accessing it, you're going to have a problem attempting to force anything. That is another thing Donatello might have managed to do, but certainly not you. As a strategic thinker, you must admit that this is a foolproof plan."_

Leo ignored the taunting tone, choosing instead to take stock of his situation. Bishop was sharing his body with him and seemed sure of his ascendency over Leo. Forcing himself into a calm state, Leo discontinued his physical struggles, internalizing every bit of his consciousness.

With an effort, Leo pushed back against Bishop's control and managed to lower his fingers.

He could feel Bishop's consciousness attempting to access the portion of his mind that Leo was carefully closing off. Putting to work the mental skills that all of his years of meditation had given him, Leo built a wall between himself and Bishop.

_"I might not be Donatello,"_ Leo said, _"but I'm not a pushover either. You won't learn any of our secrets from me. I'll not take you to the lair and I'll not let you use my body to trick my family."_

_"Is that what has you worried Leonardo?"_ Bishop mocked. _"Afraid I'll take advantage of my time inside your body?"_

_"I think you'll use any opportunity you can get in order to further your cause,"_ Leo said. _"This may have begun as a gambit to get yourself a new body, but the chance to push your leverage as far as possible is something you won't try to resist."_

Leo could almost feel a physical manifestation of Bishops sarcastic laughter. _"I suppose you think you know me, turtle. Whatever else I might or might not want, remember that my primary goal is to have Donatello build a new body for me. This form is not one I wish to occupy for any longer than necessary."_

_"Then we find ourselves in complete agreement on at least one thing,"_ Leo said in return. _"Because I don't want you in here for very long either."_

_"Good."_ In a lighter tone, Bishop said, _"Let's see what this body can do."_

Leo's mouth opened and a voice that sounded similar to but not quite his issued a command to the scientist who was still crouched over him.

"The subject and I are both occupying this body, Dr. Garcia," Bishop said. "The experiment was quite successful. Remove the straps; I want to practice operating the limbs."

Dr. Garcia frowned. "You gave me a series of codes, Agent Bishop."

"Yes, of course doctor," Bishop said. "Adiabatic."

The word was unfamiliar to Leo, but the doctor nodded as soon as he heard it and immediately began removing the straps that held Leo to the table. Once Dr. Garcia had released all of Leo's limbs, he stood next to him and offered his arm.

"Let me help you stand," Dr. Garcia said.

"No," Bishop told him. "Move back and have the tranquilizer gun ready. I don't believe that Leonardo will be foolish enough to try anything, but if he does, I want you to knock us out."

"Yes sir," Dr. Garcia acknowledged, moving to a desk near the control panel and selecting a tranquilizer gun off of it.

Leo relaxed as he felt his body following Bishop's command to rise. Since he too wanted off of the table, Leo didn't attempt to interfere with Bishop, holding back his own natural instinct to leap for his weapons.

Sitting up without having consciously given his body the command to do so was one of the most bizarre things Leo had ever experienced. The movement was jerky as Bishop tried to adapt to the turtles unfamiliar anatomy, barely compensating in time for the extra weight of Leo's carapace.

With his legs dangling over the edge of the table, Leo sat and waited to see what Bishop would do next. He made no effort to take control; as long as Bishop appeared to be in charge of the body, Dr. Garcia would not be firing off any tranquilizers.

Almost as if reading Leo's hidden thoughts, Bishop said, _"I am sure your swords are a great temptation but I'm afraid your reflexes are not going to be anywhere near normal. Any movement you attempt to make that is counter to my set of commands will be met with extreme resistance. I will freeze this body mid-stride and leave you an easy target for my people."_

One of Leo's hands lifted and he found himself touching his own plastron. His palm slid along the rough scutes, fingertips dipping into and exploring the various nicks and gouges.

_"This is quite a fascinating bit of armor,"_ Bishop said thoughtfully. _"I wouldn't have thought it to have the ability to feel sensations, but it is actually rather sensitive. These wounds must have hurt."_

He continued to explore Leo's body, removing the attached electrodes from his skin and carrying on a soliloquy as though he expected that Leo would offer no commentary.

Holding a hand in front of Leo's face, Bishop opened and closed it several times. _"Superior musculature and an incredibly strong grip. Three fingers will take some getting used to."_

Leo couldn't resist responding, _"Don't bother, you won't be in here very long."_

_"I sincerely hope you're correct,"_ Bishop countered. _"This body may be stronger and more versatile than the average humans, but it is not nearly as perfect as my cloned form."_

_"The one that burns out and melts into a nasty pile of goo with a fair amount of frequency,"_ Leo said bitingly.

_"Touché,"_ Bishop said. _"I'll give you that one. Let us both hope that your smart brother will remedy that small problem for me with the new body he is going to design."_

_"If it were up to me, he wouldn't lift a finger to help you,"_ Leo said.

_"You are used to having Donatello obey your commands without question, aren't you?" _Bishop asked. _"It must have been quite irksome to hear him agree to meet me despite you telling him not to do so."_

Leo didn't care to have a discussion with Bishop about Donatello. His brother rarely ever went against Leo's direct orders but when he did it was always because he had one of his brother's well-being in mind. Donatello could be a real dictator when it came to health issues of any kind and he would see giving Bishop a new body as a minor sacrifice when weighed against Leo's life.

Bishop ordered Leo's hands to push off from the table and when Leo's feet hit the floor, Bishop practiced giving his legs the commands to bend and flex. Standing as straight as possible, Leo's arms lifted into the air in a long stretch that pulled all of his muscles taut.

When his arms came down, Leo found that his hands were now exploring his body once more, fingertips roaming over his head and face, across his neck and the top ridge of his carapace. His hands slowly moved downwards, over his scutes and onto his exposed sides, and then he bent over to run his hands over his solidly muscular thighs, calves, and even as far down as his feet.

As his fingers traced their way back up, Leo discovered that one hand had been given the command to reach back and grasp his tail. When the other hand started to explore between his legs, Leo forced his own will to assume control, putting an immediate stop to Bishop's curiosity.

With a laugh, Bishop said, _"I was wondering how far you would let me go. You are attempting to play possum so that I will not know how much control you can still manage to exert over this body. You should understand that type of subterfuge won't work on me."_

_"You need to realize that there are certain boundaries that I will not allow you to cross,"_ Leo said, _"even if stopping you is a detriment to my own well-being."_

_"Since we are going to be sharing this vessel for a time, it probably wouldn't hurt to have some ground rules,"_ Bishop agreed. _"I will promise not to explore beyond the bounds of propriety and within the limits of self-preservation, to not directly or indirectly cause harm or damage to be inflicted on your body."_

Leo laughed shortly. _"'Within the limits of self-preservation' seems to be leaving you with a sizeable loophole."_

_"I did take you for a reason, Leonardo,"_ Bishop said. _"Occupying your body was a necessary step towards incentivizing your brother to work for me. If he needs further coaxing then I may have to take drastic measures to encourage him."_

_"You're going to feel anything you do to me just as much as I will,"_ Leo reminded him.

_"I am fully cognizant of that,"_ Bishop said. _"Believe me when I say that type of inducement will be used as a last resort. I think Donatello is a very rational and reasonable being, however your brother Raphael is rash and volatile and Michelangelo is both cunning and resourceful. I do have a high regard for your siblings strengths."_

_"Yes, my family has experienced your high regard on more than one occasion,"_ Leo said sarcastically.

_"You should be flattered that I'd desire your assistance in creating a means to protect this planet,"_ Bishop said. _"What I've asked of you has always been with thoughts towards the greater good."_

_"I'm not going to debate that point right now,"_ Leo said. _"Not with you occupying my body. The fact remains that your goals may sound lofty but your methods are reprehensible. Killing us has always been your top priority and no matter what rationale you attach to that, the end result is that my family would be dead."_

Bishop chuckled. _"I'm not sure how much time we will have to spend 'together', but I am sure there will be other opportunities to continue this discussion. Let's get back to those ground rules, shall we? I have given you a fair promise and I would like to extract one from you. This process will be less time consuming if we don't have a repeat of your earlier attempts to dissuade Donatello from fashioning a new body for me."_

_"You want my promise that I won't order him to let you rot?"_ Leo asked.

_"Not really, no,"_ Bishop said. _"He wouldn't listen to an order like that from you so I'm not concerned about you issuing one. Once he knows that I'm in here, he'll do what I want. The promise I hope to extract from you is that you will not do anything impulsive in an attempt to prematurely evict me. I am quite aware of your cunning and ingenuity. I am also aware of your limitless ability towards self-sacrifice."_

_"As I'm likewise aware of your willingness to keep your word as long as we know exactly what that is,"_ Leo said in response. _"So as part of those ground rules you're so intent on laying out I want a promise that you won't attempt any type of move on my family. You are undoubtedly going to learn more about us from being inside my body than any of your prior attempts have gleaned. This is it; don't try anything else or I'll destroy both of us to save them from you."_

_"Done,"_ Bishop promised. _"It is nearly time for us to meet your family. I would like to walk over to that table and put on your gear. Would you care to do the honors, or shall I take the initiative?"_

The last thing Leo wanted to do was offer Bishop any more opportunities to practice controlling his body. _"I'll do it."_

As he crossed the room, his body under his own stewardship for the first time in over an hour, Leo could see that Dr. Garcia kept the tranquilizer gun pointed at him. The second he reached for his belt, the gun lifted.

Once more Leo's mouth opened under Bishop's control. "I am still in command, Dr. Garcia. Please move forward with the next step in our plan; have my car ready. Leonardo and I are going to fetch the genius I was telling you about. Prepare the lab, he will need full and complete access to everything we can possibly give him."

"I will make it so, Agent Bishop," Dr. Garcia said. "What about safeguards?"

"Leonardo and I have reached an understanding, doctor," Bishop told him. "One that is mutually advantageous to both of us. The tranquilizer gun won't be necessary."

"You have the code?" Dr. Garcia asked.

"Abyssal," Bishop said.

Dr. Garcia promptly turned and left the room. Only one other scientist was still with them, and he was seated at a computer, seemingly hard at work and ignoring Bishop/Leo.

_"Certain members of my staff know the code words I've selected,"_ Bishop explained. _"They aren't in a computer anywhere, so don't think that Donatello will be able to locate them. Measures will be taken if I issue a command that isn't also followed by one of the codes. Is my meaning clear?"_

_"You've thought of everything,"_ Leo said, slowly pulling on his gear.

_"I have certainly attempted to,"_ Bishop acknowledged. _"Speaking of which, you have yet to give me your promise."_

Leo had hoped that Bishop would forget, but he should have known better. He did know that Bishop would honor none of his own guarantees if Leo didn't invoke his word.

_"I'll meet your conditions,"_ Leo finally said.

His hands curved around the handles of his katanas as he spoke and he lifted them from the table. Looking into the polished metal, Leo saw his own reflection staring back at him.

Leonardo's image seemed somewhat foreign to himself, tainted by Bishop's point of view. He could almost feel the thoughts that Bishop was holding back from him, thoughts prompted by emotion rather than logic. To Bishop, Leo was nothing more than a creature; a beast with no place in the world and no rights.

Something was there, something in Bishops reaction that was the answer to defeating the man, but it was so elusive that Leo lost his grip on it. He knew better than to try and chase it, whatever it had been it would come back to him eventually. All he could hope for was that it would come back in time to do Leo and his family some good.

Leo had no illusions about how far he could trust Bishop and his promises. The wording was too full of verbal ambiguities, purposely phrased in a manner that would be most advantageous to Bishop.

That sort of game could be played by two, and apparently Bishop had not noticed Leo's responding word of honor was likewise couched in a way that would give the ninja a means to protect himself and his family.

He could feel Bishop seize control of his arms in order to lift the katanas and slide them into the sheaths that rested on Leo's back.

_"It is time to greet the family,"_ Bishop said. _"Shall we?"_

As they moved towards the door, Leo found that for the first time in his life he was hoping that Donatello would not be waiting for him.

That hope was of course unrealistic. Donatello was always there for him. It was the one thing that Leo could always count on.

TBC…


	4. Part 3

Deterioration  
part 3

The sound of metal chipping at wood made Donatello grit his teeth. Glancing over at Raph, he could see his brother's frustration in the way his jaw was clamped. Don drew a deep breath and reached across to still Raph's hand, stopping him from digging at the wooden shed door with his sai.

"I hate waiting," Raph growled in a low voice.

"None of us enjoys it," Don said softly, hoping to calm his hot tempered brother. "They'll be here soon enough. Bishop said he'd bring Leo and that he wouldn't double cross us. He always does what he says he'll do."

"We shouldn't have split up," Raph said hoarsely. "I knew something was off and I should've listened to my instincts."

"It's no good beating yourself up over this," Don told him. "If you'd been with Leo it's true that you both might have gotten away. Or you both would have fought and Bishop would have gotten the upper hand and still taken Leo. Or they would have knocked you unconscious also and taken both of you. There are too many variables to make an internal argument a useful exercise."

"Thank you Einstein," Raph said, flipping his sai over and jabbing it into his belt.

His voice was gruff still, but a tiny hint of a smile flashed across his mouth. Don had a way of saying things that cut right to the chase and helped to clear away the clouds.

"Can you see the others?" Don asked, hoping to keep Raph distracted.

"Mikey keeps peeking over the edge of the rooftop next door," Raph said with a snort. "Impatient little shit. I've seen Casey's shadow a couple times; he's on top of the generator pacing. Ain't seen Master Splinter, which is no surprise, but I can't spot April either. She's gotten pretty good at the whole invisibility thing."

"That's the reason Master Splinter agreed to teach her ninjitsu and why Leo's been mentoring her; she takes it very seriously," Don murmured.

He was trying not to become anxious, but his watch told him that Bishop was five minutes overdue. Shifting a bit, he looked around the roof of the building he'd asked Bishop to meet him on. There were several sheds, a large rooftop garden, a structurally sound gazebo, and two solidly built pigeon coops. Plenty of cover for he and Raph but no way for Bishop to land a helicopter, or to even get close in one.

Likewise, its proximity to the buildings around it made the rooftop accessible from several directions, which gave them multiple escape routes. Having family and friends scattered across the others roofs kept Bishop from utilizing those buildings for his own purposes.

Don had to promise Master Splinter that if Bishop attempted to spring any sort of trap, despite the assurances the man had given them, they would all retreat. When the three brothers had begun to protest in unison, Master Splinter had held up one finger to silence them.

"Leonardo will not be aided by the knowledge that his predicament has also become your danger. We will do our utmost to free him, but we will not fall into a similar trap. Your brother is resourceful; we must not further hamper his efforts to escape by becoming additional obstacles in his path," Master Splinter had said.

Don hadn't liked to think he or any of his family might become a hindrance to Leo rather than an asset, but he had to admit that his sensei had a legitimate point. Leo's greatest strength was his love for his family, but it was also his greatest weakness. He had done very dangerous things in the past to protect them and Don knew he wouldn't think twice about doing so again.

"What's the holdup?" Raph asked under his breath, his anxiety coming through in his words. "Is this some kinda new game Bishop's playing?"

Don didn't think Raph expected an answer to either of those questions and almost didn't bother to give him one. The hot head might be feeling tense and uneasy, but so was Don. Having to continuously soothe Raph's anxiety was starting to wear on Don who wondered, not for the first time, how Leo managed to keep Raph in line.

"We'll find out when he gets here," Don said in an even tone. "If we don't see them in fifteen minutes, we'll all move somewhere else and wait for him to call again."

For an answer, Raph's hands tightened on the hilts of his sais, but he didn't draw them. The creak of the leather against Raph's palms was nearly as loud as when he was hacking at the door. Don sighed and tried to ignore it, knowing that Raph needed some sort of physical outlet for his vexation.

Two minutes later the sound seemed to grow louder and Don decided he needed to take another shot at calming Raph down. He was just about to turn and look at his brother when he realized the creaking sound was coming from the fire ladder.

Behind him, Raph shifted positions, his body tensing in preparation. Coiled and ready to spring, Raph was as dangerous at this moment as he ever got. Don knew his brother carried guilt and rage inside of him at having lost Leo to Agent Bishop, both of which were deadly emotions to evoke in the red banded Turtle.

Remaining hidden, Don stared at the ladder. The quarter moon was periodically covered by clouds, which were in turn pushed around by a constant light breeze. Visibility was not good; a fact that was both advantageous and detrimental.

Even in the low light Don could see the top of the ladder move and then a second later, Leonardo leaped over the ledge and looked around.

Don's heart crawled into his throat at the sight of his brother. He appeared unharmed and he was completely alone. How Leo had escaped from Bishop was a tale for another time, now they just needed to get home.

"Leo!" Don jumped out from behind the storage shed and darted towards his brother.

A strong hand clamped onto Don's arm and pulled him to a stop.

"Not so fast brainiac," Raph said, his eyes narrowed as he stared past Don at their brother.

Don tried to yank his arm out of Raph's grasp but his brother held tight. "What's wrong with you, Raph? Let me go."

"No," Raph said in the same low warning tone. His eyes never left Leo's face. "Something don't feel right."

Raph's expression made Don turn his eyes back to Leo. His oldest brother hadn't moved; he was in the exact same place as when he'd first jumped onto the roof. He was watching Don and Raph's exchange, his eyes fixed on them as though studying something that was unfamiliar to him.

Don immediately understood what Raph meant. "Leo?" he asked hesitantly. "Are you all right?"

Leo seemed to sway a little, as though rocked by the breeze. His eyes focused on Don and he blinked rapidly before calling out, "Stay back, Donny!"

Those words had the opposite effect on Donatello. He tried to surge forward once more, but Raph's other hand came down on his shoulder, holding him in place.

"Leo please!" Don begged, his trepidation pushing aside more logical reasoning. He needed to hear Leo's voice explaining what was wrong and he needed to hear it now.

Leo took a step forward, but his other leg remained fixed, as though he were struggling with his own body. Looking down, Leo's mouth pinched together in a grimace and his fists clenched.

"No," Leo hissed through lips that barely parted, seemingly talking to himself.

Raph shoved Don back behind him, glaring at the genius when Don tried to move. Satisfied that Don understood he was to stay put, Raph turned to face Leo.

"Is something trying to control you?" Raph asked in a low tone.

Leo's head came up. His eyes were nearly shut, but there was enough expression in them to tell Raph the truth, although Leo's mouth didn't move.

"Then I'm taking Don out of here right now. _Shut up!_" The last part was for Don, who attempted to pass him while voicing his protest.

Raph's heavy arm blocked Don's path. "The agreement was no double cross. This looks like a trick ta me and I know ya' don't want us falling for it, Leo. If ya' can hear me Bishop, say good-bye ta Don's help."

As he spun around and grabbed Don's arm once more, Leo straightened. He remained rigidly in place, but this time when his mouth opened, a slightly different voice issued from it.

"If you ever want Leonardo back, you won't leave," Bishop said.

Raph froze, his immobility matched by Donatello. Don's eyes widened in shocked understanding and when Raph darted a look at the genius' face, he too gleaned the truth.

Slowing turning, careful to keep Don away from their oldest brother, Raph stared at Leo.

"Tell me it ain't true," Raph rasped out, his voice constricted by revulsion.

This time it was Leo who answered. "He transferred his mind into my body. His body melted as soon as the transfer was complete."

"Oh shell, Leo," Don moaned. "Are you hurt? Are you still in control?"

"His brain accepted the procedure splendidly," Bishop answered, the sound of his speech pattern issuing from Leo's mouth surreal. "We are going through a period of adjustment at the moment; Leonardo continuously attempts to circumvent my supremacy."

"Shut the fuck up, Bishop," Raph snarled, his temper pushing to the forefront. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Don and asked, "How do we get him out?"

Don seemed to be operating in slow motion, his movements sluggish as he processed all of the ramifications.

Finally, he said softly, "I have to build Bishop the new body he wants."

"The new body I _need_," Bishop corrected. "There is no other way to extract my mind from your brother's body. The transference device will not send a consciousness into nothing; it is designed to identify the idle energy signature inside the living tissue of a brain."

"Let Leo talk ya' bastard," Raph snapped.

Leo's brow furrowed in concentration. "I've blocked him from delving into my thoughts and memories, as Master Splinter taught us. We both have partial control of my body. Bishop uses a set of code words so that his people know when he's speaking."

"Leonardo." Master Splinter stepped out of the shadows, moving to within inches of his eldest son. "Look at me."

Leo lifted his eyes to his Father's. Master Splinter placed his hands on either side of Leo's face and held him while staring into his son's amber gaze.

"Can this man make you do anything you do not wish to do?" Master Splinter asked.

"No sensei," Leo answered. "He cannot move me to harm my family or friends nor can he reach our secrets. But I am unable to wrest complete control from him. I can't go home."

Master Splinter lowered his hands. "Then we must fulfill the bargain we have made. Donatello will accompany you to Agent Bishop's laboratory where he will attempt to fashion a new body as agreed."

"How do we know Bishop won't shove Leo into the new body and stay in this one?" Raph protested. "How do we know he'll give Leo back ta us in one piece, or even return Donny when he's done? We ain't got any guarantees."

"Then you will accompany them," Master Splinter said. "You will ensure Donatello's safety as he works, and Leonardo's well-being until the transfer can be arranged."

Turning to look at Raph and Don, Master Splinter continued, "Donatello, you have given your word and for the honor of our family you must keep it. However, your word was predicated on certain conditions that must be met by Agent Bishop. If at any time you feel that he is attempting to circumvent his part of the agreement, you must do whatever is necessary to make him understand what you are capable of."

"Yes, Master Splinter," Don said.

Bishop laughed, once more taking control of Leo's vocal chords. "I did say that I understood Donatello's ability to exact a harsh retribution if I failed to deliver on my promises. I have no interest in your family nor do I have the funding to pique my interest at this time. This is, as I explained, a business proposition."

"Businessmen don't kidnap people ta get what they want," Raph retorted.

"You are incredibly naïve," Bishop countered. "The question of my morals or ethics is rather moot. I do what has to be done to achieve my goals. My primary purpose in taking your brother was to have a temporary body to occupy while further incentivizing Donatello into creating a new and better cloned body for me."

"Why do we gotta go back ta Bishop's place?" Raph argued. "Let's just haul him back home with us. We can cover Leo's eyes until we get back ta the lair."

"And how will we ever get Bishop out of Leo's body?" Don said, knowing that Raph understood the impossibility of his suggestion. Having someone state for him the obvious was the only way past Raph's misgivings. "I don't have the facilities, the equipment, or the genetic material required to create a new body. The transference machine is at Bishop's lab and I have absolutely no way of duplicating it. We haven't any choice, Raph."

"I hate this science shit," Raph growled in an undertone.

"Enough Raphael," Master Splinter said. "The sooner you begin your journey, the sooner you will reach its end. As an additional precaution, you will advise me of your whereabouts when you reach Agent Bishop's laboratory. Donatello, you will stay in touch with Miss O'Neil via computer, giving her detailed reports of every occurrence."

Turning back to Leo, Master Splinter addressed Bishop. "My son is to have open communications with us at all times. He will not reveal your government secrets, but he will provide us with a diagram of his location. If at any time I believe you are not holding to your word, I will retrieve my family, whether you have a new body or not."

"I have learned the hard way to have a grudging respect for your ability to do exactly that," Bishop said. "Once I am occupying my new body and have had the opportunity to test its viability, your sons will be free to go. You have my assurances that I will release them in the exact same condition as when they came to me."

"I can guarantee that," Raph said. "You even look at Donny the wrong way and I'll . . . ."

"You'll what?" Agent Bishop snorted derisively. "Rip me open? Pound me into submission? This is still your brother, so do not threaten me."

"Maybe he can't do any of those things," Don said forcefully, "but there are things that I can do. Don't try to use Leo against us, Bishop. If you cause any harm to come to him, I'll make sure that new body of yours has the kind of glitches you couldn't possible anticipate."

The sneer on Leo's face melted away quickly and one hand lifted in an unconscious gesture to adjust a tie that wasn't there. When the hand encountered nothing more than skin, Bishop moved it to the leather cross-piece on Leo's chest.

"The warning isn't necessary, but it is understood," Bishop said. "I have a car waiting in the alley below. Leonardo can tell you that the only other occupants are the driver and one bodyguard, both of whom are seated up front."

Leo took over almost seamlessly, the flow from one to the other more than a little disconcerting to his family. "Raph, check the car anyway. There were only two other people in it when we left, but that means nothing. You know what to look for."

"Damn straight I do," Raph said. "Lead the way bro'."

Their eyes locked and Raph read Leo's message clearly. His brother didn't want them, didn't want _Don_, to help Bishop. Leo might be willing to sacrifice himself to permanently rid the world of Agent John Bishop, but that price was too high for Raph to allow Leo to pay.

Raph shook his head almost imperceptibly and watched as Leo's chin quivered just the tiniest bit. Without further argument, Leo turned on his heel and grabbed the ladder, beginning his descent.

Don walked past Raph and stood at the edge of the roof, a strange expression on his face as he watched Leo climb down. Raph looked at him for a second, then turned his attention to Master Splinter.

"Mikey's gonna be pissed at being left behind," Raph said.

"Your brother will remain with me," Master Splinter said. "His usefulness in a laboratory filled with sensitive equipment is questionable. If it becomes necessary, his abilities during a rescue mission will be invaluable."

Raph saw Don start down and crossed the roof so that he could stay near the genius.

"Please be careful my son," Master Splinter called softly to him and Raph nodded without taking his eyes off the ladder. The pressure of his responsibility was already weighing heavily on him.

Before dropping into the alley with his brothers, Raph looked over the surroundings. There were no large garbage bins for anyone to hide behind and only two entry doors into the establishments on either side of the alley.

Without saying a word, Raph jumped down and moved a couple of trash cans in front of the doors. It wasn't the best safety precaution, but all Raph needed was the two second warning that someone knocking over those cans would provide him.

"Don, get up on the ladder," Raph directed. "If I tell ya' ta move, ya' better be halfway up before the word finishes leaving my mouth."

"But Leo . . . ." Don cut himself off when he saw the look on Raph's face.

"Do it, Donny," Leo said, his voice low.

Don glanced from one to the other and then leaped up onto the bottom rung of the ladder. Leo had told Raph to take these precautions and Raph was following his orders. Despite how concerned Don was over Leo's predicament, he had to adhere to Leo's commands as well.

Raph took up a position near the ladder and told Bishop, "Get your men out of the car. Tell 'em to lift their hands high and press their foreheads against the wall."

Bishop followed Raph's directive to the letter, remaining completely still as he issued the order and the code word that let his men know to follow the command. Once they were against the wall, Raph ducked into the limousine and checked it quickly, depending on Don to tell him if anyone tried to move while his back was turned.

When he was done, he stepped up behind the body guard and deftly pulled the gun from the man's shoulder holster. The man started to turn, but a light tap on the back of his head with his own weapon dissuaded him from the maneuver.

"He is carrying that in the performance of his duty," Bishop said.

"His duty just changed," Raph said as he crossed the alley and removed the driver's gun as well. "They can't be tempted ta use guns if they ain't got any."

Reaching into the driver's side of the limo, Raph pressed the button that released the trunk and tossed both guns into it. With that done, he marched up to Leo and stood toe to toe with his brother.

"Listen up, Bishop," Raph said, his voice a dangerous rumble. "That's so ya' know why I'm here. I'm aware of the fact that we're about ta drive into your stronghold and these efforts were kinda pointless, but ya' better realize that I'm gonna keep taking these kinda precautions 'cause I don't trust ya'."

"Your brother has relayed the same information to me," Bishop said with a touch of humor. "Since I can't issue any type of order without his knowledge, it is reasonable to make the assumption that I won't attempt anything untoward."

"You're fucking right ya' won't," Raph answered belligerently. "Tell your goons ta get back in the car."

After both men had returned to the front seat, Raph nodded to Donatello who once more left the ladder and then waited with his brother until Leo climbed into rear of the limo. Raph went in next, sitting directly opposite his older brother and just behind the limo driver.

Don entered last and immediately took a seat next to Leo.

"I don't want ya' sitting there, Donny," Raph said as Don settled his duffle bag on the floorboard.

Shaking his head, Don said, "He isn't going to do anything to me, Raph. I need to check Leo's vital signs; I'm concerned that the transference could be difficult on his physiology."

The partition between the front and back started to go up and Raph yanked his sai out of his belt. Tapping the driver's shoulder with the tip, he growled, "Keep the window down. I want ta see what you're doing at all times."

Don turned his attention to Leo, lifting one of his brother's arms and placing a finger to his wrist to check his pulse. Leo's head turned slowly, his eyes never leaving Don's face.

Pressing a hand to Leo's forehead and then the back of his neck, Don said, "You're warmer than usual. Do you feel ill?"

"No," Leo answered, "just out of sorts and disconnected."

"That's understandable," Don said. "I'll need to double check, but your pulse is fast, your pupils are larger than normal, and you've had a temperature shift. I believe Bishop's presence has caused your metabolism to speed up."

"Another good reason to want me out of your brother's body," Bishop said.

"I don't need any more reasons," Don told him, his tone angry.

Leo shoved Bishop's will aside in order to speak to Don. "I'm okay, Donny," Leo assured him. "Other than having a second voice in my head, I feel fine. Please don't spend time worrying about me; just concentrate on Bishop's project and on getting away from him as quickly as you can."

Don retained his hold on Leo's wrist, his thumb brushing across the back of Leo's hand in an unconscious repetitive motion. He was afraid to let go of Leo; afraid that something else would change if he released his grip on his brother.

For Leo, the intimate gesture was both soothing and frightening. He knew he should push Don away but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Don's touch was nothing more than that of a concerned brother, but even so it was a feeling that Leo had desired for a very long time.

It was a hidden dream that he was determined would remain as such. Allowing Don to comfort him and letting himself need that soothing touch was something Leo did not want Bishop to pick up on.

Leo began to repeat the mantra he was using to maintain the mental wall between himself and Agent Bishop as he felt the man attempt to wriggle past his defenses. Don seemed to sense his internal struggle and moved closer, his knee brushing against Leo's thigh.

It was all Leo could do to contain the involuntary shudder that touch provoked. Of all the secrets Leo had to hide from Bishop, this one was becoming the most difficult to keep. Once they reached Bishop's facilities, Leo would try to maintain as much distance between himself and Don as possible.

If he didn't, Leo was afraid he wouldn't be able to hide his inappropriate feelings for very long.

TBC…


	5. Part 4

Deterioration  
part 4

The ride to Bishop's Earth Protective Force facility took just over half an hour. Rather than being disguised as a garage, dry cleaner, or some other non-descript operation, the facility was a four-story office building.

Across the front, in small letters, were the words "New York City Department of Foreign Affairs." Raph snorted derisively when he saw it.

The limo was driven into an attached parking garage. Two gates blocked their entrance and the limo made for the one which said "Official Use Only". The driver lowered his window and pressed a card against the reader, waiting for a moment as a low pitched beep was followed by the gate lifting out of their way.

Within twenty feet the drive separated again, one ramp going up into the garage itself, the other proceeding downwards. The one that went down into darkness was blocked by another gate, this one made of heavy, reinforced steel.

Once more the driver presented his key card and was granted admittance. They took the ramp down and soon found themselves in a small parking lot, completely devoid of any other vehicles.

As Raph surveyed the area, he noticed that there were no doors of any kind in the lot. No sign of a staircase, no indication there was an elevator, nothing but smooth walls. He glanced suspiciously at Leo-slash-Bishop, but Leo's eyes were glued to Don's hand, his purple banded brother still maintaining a hold on Leo's wrist.

The car pulled into a slot but rather than killing the ignition, the driver put the car into park and allowed the engine to idle. Raph turned sideways on his seat and stared into the front of the limo, but before he could open his mouth to ask what they were doing, a red light flashed on the console.

In front of the car, a portion of the wall slid upwards. Once the wall stopped moving, the light on the front console turned green and the driver steered the car onto another down sloping ramp.

As the wall began to descend into place behind them, the driver flicked on the limo's headlights. Raph could see absolutely nothing that wasn't illuminated by the lights, but he did notice the cameras mounted high on the walls when the headlights swept over them. Having grown up in the darkness of the sewers and with Donatello, he knew those cameras were most probably infrared.

After following the long, circular ramp for what Raph estimated was at least three floors, the ground leveled out into a real parking lot. The limo slid smoothly into a space near the glass doors of an elevator and the driver killed the engine.

The bodyguard did not move from his spot in the passenger seat, but the driver got out and opened the back door. Leo pulled his wrist from Donatello's grasp and stepped out of the limo. Don started to follow him, but Raph grabbed his arm and indicated the other door with a jerk of his thumb.

Raph went out on the opposite side of the limo from where Leo and the driver stood, holding the door open for Don.

"Forever suspicious, eh, Raphael? Is this why you are the muscle of the group?" Bishop asked.

"If people like ya' would just drop dead I wouldn't have ta be suspicious all the time," Raph snapped.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I won't be doing that anytime soon," Bishop said. "Shall we go inside?"

Without waiting for their acquiescence, Leo walked over to the elevator and punched a series of numbers into the keypad next to the doors. When the glass slid back, he entered and turned to look at Don and Raph.

Raph wanted nothing more than to knock out the driver and bodyguard, grab Leo, and shove both of his brothers into the limo before driving out of there with them. Don seemed to sense Raph's sudden urge, because he moved away from the red banded turtle quickly, forcing Raph to hop in order to catch up.

The two brothers got into the elevator with Leo. The driver and bodyguard stayed with the limo, neither moving as Leo manipulated the elevator controls, sliding the glass doors shut.

Don was staring at Leo as his brother reached over and simultaneously pressed two buttons on the control panel. Rather than going up or down though, the elevator began moving sideways.

Gliding along so smoothly that it hardly felt as though they were moving, the elevator took them past a number of rooms, each a flurry of activity. If the Turtles had any doubts as to how large Bishop's EPF operation really was, the elevator tour squelched those feelings completely.

The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors opened onto a narrow corridor. Several feet in front of them there was another set of electronically controlled doors, these made of thick metal. On either side of the doors stood armed security guards, their laser pulse rifles held at the ready.

Neither guard moved as they watched Leo walk towards them, but their eyes followed him. When he was within a couple of feet of the pair, they spun on their heels to face him, both lowering their rifle sights to keep him covered.

Leo paused directly in front of the door and a yellow light shot down from the ceiling, catching him in its glare. A computerized voice said, "Code in."

In the voice that Leo's brothers were coming to know as Bishop's, he responded, "Bathos."

The light turned green and the metal doors opened. The guards relaxed back into their original stance as Leo looked over to where Raph and Don were still standing inside the elevator.

When Don started forward, Raph stepped in front of him. "Get rid of the guards," he told Bishop.

"They are part of our protocol," Bishop protested.

"They ain't part of mine," Raph said. "Ya' got plenty of security without them. As long as they're standing there, me and Don don't step out of this elevator."

Bishop studied the red banded ninja through Leo's eyes and felt a touch of familiarity with the way Raph was standing; the set of his shoulders and the firm line of his mouth. Somehow Bishop knew this was an argument that he wouldn't win.

"You are both dismissed," Bishop told the guards. "Do not return to this post unless I order you to."

Both guards hesitated for a second, looking across at one another, before they said in unison, "Yes, sir."

When they approached the elevator, Raph stepped out of it, allowing Don to exit as well. Raph didn't move again until the elevator whisked the guards away. Within moments, the empty car slid back into position.

Raph glanced up at Leo. "Give us the code for operating this thing."

Leo's mouth moved into a smile. "It's a word; you spell it out on the keypad. Today the word is 'xiphias'. Tomorrow at o-five hundred the word changes."

"Ya' got a list of the words for this week?" Raph asked.

"I will provide it to you," Bishop said, his manner agreeable.

Raph nodded and both he and Don followed Leo into the room that was beyond the metal door. Throughout the room there were many giant containment tubes filled with various colors of liquid, each holding unshaped blobs of genetic material. There were also a large number of freezer units in different sizes, and three cleans rooms whose walls were made of see-through Plexiglas, probably shatter proof.

Men and women moved about their business, all of them wearing lab coats and studiously avoiding looking towards the three Turtles.

Glancing around at the spacious facility, Don spoke for the first time since leaving the limo. "This is where the base cellular tissue is stored and duplicated?" he asked.

"Yes," Bishop answered. Leo walked over to a long table that was covered with computers, indicating them with a wave of his hand as Bishop continued speaking, "Each of the storage units is connected to a set of monitors and all of the data can be accessed from here. Every bit of information regarding this project can be found here as well."

"Where is the transference machine?" Don asked.

"Next door," Bishop said, leading the way through a metal door on the other side of the genetics room.

The room they entered was smaller than the first, but every available space was occupied by machinery of some sort. Two scientists were standing with their backs to a control panel, watching as Agent Bishop, inside Leo's body, took Donatello on a tour of the facility.

Raph stood near the door, his hands on the hilts of his sais, and watched them through narrowed eyes. He was starting to get that jumpy feeling in his gut that came from too much talking and not enough action.

"The first thing I want is complete access to all of the computers," Don said. "I want the schematics for the transference device and I want someone to walk me through its operation. I need to know exactly who will be assisting me and I'll want it to be clear to them that they'll follow my directions to the letter."

Leo signaled to one of the scientists, who quickly walked over to join them. "This is Dr. Garcia," Bishop said. "He will be your primary liaison. All of the scientists and technicians working on this project have already been instructed to follow your orders."

"Do you have the data on Bishop's body covering the twenty-four hour period just before it disintegrated?" Don asked Dr. Garcia.

"Yes," Dr. Garcia said. "It is all recorded in the computer files, along with the history of the genetic material used to construct the tissue that originally formed that cloned body."

"I'll want to review all of it," Don said.

"Everything will be made available," Dr. Garcia promised.

"Since this venture will undoubtedly take some time, let me show you around the rest of the compound," Bishop said. "You will want a place to sleep."

"No," Don said forcefully, turning to look at Leo. "I don't want the grand tour and I don't want a bedroom. You can have some cots brought in and tell us where the nearest washroom is. Have someone bring food to us; I saw a small break area in the other room, we'll eat there."

Once more Bishop studied one of Leo's siblings through the oldest brother's eyes. Bishop had not thought Donatello to be an aggressive personality and felt somewhat taken aback at the purple banded Turtle's show of dominance.

Glancing at Raphael quickly, Bishop saw that the largest of the brothers did not appear at all surprised at Don's behavior. Quickly gauging Leo's internal reactions, Bishop found that this brother also took Donatello's show of authority as normal.

"Do you intend to remain in these two rooms during this entire process?" Bishop asked.

"Yes I do," Don said, walking up to Leo. "So will you. At no point do I want you out of my sight. Leo?"

Leo said, "Whatever you want, Donny. He's in no position to argue with you."

For the first time, Bishop began to feel as though he was losing some portion of control. There were processes in other parts of the compound that required his oversight; other projects that he needed to monitor. He had not foreseen being forced to remain in a veritable lockdown.

"I will apprise you of any changes in the physiology of this body immediately, Donatello," Bishop pushed forward to say. "However, I am needed elsewhere and cannot remain here while you work."

"You can and you will," Don told him. "If I need something from you or Leo, I am not going to sit on my thumbs and wait for you to show up. You chose to inhabit my brother's body by force and now you can take the consequences right along with him. Leo won't cooperate with any attempt you make to walk out of here. I don't care about anything else you have going on; my only concern is getting you out of Leo's body. If you really want to know the full extent of what I'm capable of, try me."

A movement caught the corner of Leo's eyes and both he and Bishop saw Raphael step into position in front of the door.

_"Let me tell you something about Donatello,"_ Leo thought to Bishop. _"He is by far the most stubborn of my brothers and I'm including myself in that statement. You insisted on having his genius, now you have to deal with everything that goes along with it."_

_"You could order him to allow us to leave,"_ Bishop said.

_"No I could not,"_ Leo said smugly. _"Don't you know that in the hierarchy of command, the team physician has authority when the leader is deemed mentally unfit? With you in my head, Don is obligated to do what he thinks is best. I would suggest you don't try to cross him; a riled up Donatello can be a very dangerous thing."_

Bishop was not pleased and Leo could tell. It gave the Turtle a great deal of satisfaction to feel Bishop's reaction to being thwarted, something Leo was sure that Bishop was very unused to.

"Very well." Bishop's words were clipped. "But if we are to be confined within these two rooms for the duration, there is no need for you to send Ms. O'Neil a diagram of this building."

"That's already part of the agreement ya' made with Master Splinter, Bishop," Raph said, his tone angry. "Ya' ain't going back on it either."

"Why would I hand over every piece of information about this compound to my enemies?" Bishop sneered. "The reality is you are here now and despite your rat master's threats, you will not be leaving until I have a new body."

Leo saw the warning signs in Raph's stance and tried to cut Bishop off, but he couldn't take control quickly enough. As soon as the words 'rat master' were uttered by the Agent, Raphael blew up.

Rather than coming at Leo though, Raph lunged sideways and yanked a monitor off of a desk, smashing it with all his strength to the floor. Sparks and glass flew everywhere, but Raph didn't pause as he snatched up a lamp and sent it careening off a nearby wall.

"Stop him!" Dr. Garcia shouted. "He'll destroy the equipment!"

"Raph, don't!" Don shouted, afraid that Raph's temper would indeed cause him to annihilate equipment that was necessary to extract Bishop from Leo's body.

The anger from the entire situation had finally built to a boiling point and all that Raph could hear was the high pitched whistle of rage in his ears. As he turned his attention to a cabinet filled with empty beakers and test equipment, Leo heard the harsh sound of Bishop's voice inside his head.

_"If he doesn't cease this mindless attack, I'm going to call guards in to put an end to it,"_ Bishop warned in a voice that was cold as ice.

_"You do that and Donatello will never lift a finger to help you,"_ Leo said.

_"Then he won't get you back,"_ Bishop said flatly. _"If you have any control over Raphael, use it now."_

A loud crash practically shook the floor as the heavy metal cabinet hit the ground, sending the contents that didn't immediately smash sliding in all directions. As Raph turned towards the table that Dr. Garcia was standing next to, Don grabbed Leo's arm, knowing there was only one thing that could stop the hot head.

_"Adhere to the agreement with Master Splinter,"_ Leo calmly told Bishop.

Dr. Garcia skipped aside, his eyes wide as Raph grabbed the table and flipped it through the air. It collided with a printer and knocked the piece of machinery to the floor.

_"Very well,"_ Bishop said, his voice grim.

"Raphael!" Leo called loudly in his command voice. "Enough!"

Raph spun towards Leo, his destructive rage momentarily halted. His fingers were flexing as he pulled his hands into tight fists and then opened them again, wanting badly to seize something else to destroy.

"Tell him Bishop," Leo said out loud.

Bishop's voice followed quickly. "I will follow the agreement with your Master Splinter to the letter. I would appreciate it if you would stop destroying my lab now."

Raph's eyes were still blazing, but the tenseness drained out of his body. Pointing at Don, he told Bishop, "Give him access ta a computer right now."

"Dr. Garcia," Bishop said without taking his eyes off Raphael. "Please provide Donatello with everything he requires."

"But . . . Agent Bishop . . . what of . . . ." Dr. Garcia began, spluttering in confusion.

"Everything, Dr. Garcia. Do it now," Bishop repeated.

As Dr. Garcia scrambled over to the computer console, Don released his grip on Leo's arm. Walking past Raph, Don caught the tiniest hint of a gloating smile as it touched his brother's lips. The realization that Raph's fit was partially staged, evidenced by the fact that nothing of great importance had been broken, came to Don then.

Rolling his eyes slightly, Don reminded himself that he shouldn't underestimate Raph's guile. Master Splinter had given the hot headed Turtle a mission knowing full well that Raph would use brains as well as brawn to accomplish it.

Bishop eyed Raphael as Don seated himself in front of a computer. The Turtle's bodyguard seemed placid now that Dr. Garcia was giving Donatello access codes that would allow him into every function in the compound.

"Leo," Don called without turning around, "I've just sent April a message telling her where we are and a diagram of how we got here. She sent Master Splinter's reply; he says 'zokkou'."

"'Proceed'," Bishop translated. When Don spun in his chair to look at the man, Bishop laughed shortly. "Yes, I speak Japanese."

"Ain't ya' special," Raph growled in a low voice.

"Yes I am," Bishop said, "and the world needs me. You are doing this planet a great favor by agreeing to construct a new body for me."

Don stood up slowly. "Let's be very clear, Agent Bishop. I'm not doing _you_ any favors, this is about my brother, Leonardo. Your delusions of grandeur have nothing to do with our family other than the fact that you can't seem to leave us alone."

"What is clear to me is that your family was mutated by an alien created substance," Bishop shot back. "Everything about that is my business and someday I will undoubtedly want to explore that further. For now we have an agreement and I will uphold my end of the bargain as long as you do the same."

"And as long as I break a few things just ta keep ya' on track, right Bishop?" Raph said sarcastically.

"Your methods have a short range effectiveness," Bishop admitted. "They won't be tolerated so well in the future."

"I can always change 'em ta something with more of a bite," Raph said, taking a menacing step towards Leo.

"We both know you won't go that far," Bishop said. "Besides the fact that I'm inhabiting your brother's body there is al . . . also . . . ."

Leo's mouth was open but his vocal chords had suddenly shut down. Leo was grappling with Bishop's consciousness, having interrupted the speech the man was about to make.

_"No!"_ Leo barked at Bishop. _"You are not going to antagonize Raph any further."_

_"Afraid your brother can't stand to hear the truth?"_ Bishop sneered. _"You are a better fighter than he is and so am I."_

_"That isn't the point of having us here, is it?"_ Leo asked. _"Underestimating Raph's abilities is a mistake and trying to see how far you can push him is an even worse one."_

_"Ah, has Raphael come to surpass you finally?"_ Bishop taunted. _"Brute strength and a lethal temper combine into a more formidable weapon than talent and dedication?"_

_"Our family dynamics are no concern of yours,"_ Leo said, refusing to be provoked.

Don wasn't sure what was happening, but he watched Leo with growing alarm. His brother's skin tone seemed to be off a bit and the fact that he was completely immobile with his mouth hanging open and his eyes glazed over was disconcerting.

When Don glanced over at Raph, he saw that his brother's anger had dissipated and was now replaced by confusion. Raph shot a questioning look at Don, and the genius merely shook his head before striding purposely over to Leo.

Touching his brother's shoulder lightly, Don discovered than Leo's skin was considerably warmer than normal.

"Leo," Don said, leaning in to look at his brother's face. "Leo, can you hear me?"

Taking a deep breath, Leo straightened up, shoving aside Bishop's control for the moment.

"I'm fine, Donny," Leo said. "Bishop and I were having a disagreement."

"You're not fine," Don said sharply. "Your body is having a difficult time accommodating the presence of two intellects. Portions of your brain that are normally dormant are now firing off electrical impulses and some of the commands they're issuing are divergent to the ones coming from your portion of your mind. At some point, your body is going to overload."

"Perhaps it would be best if you were to begin reviewing Baxter Stockman's reports with regards to the most recent cloned body he created for me," Bishop said. "You may spot the anomalies in his computations quickly and we can be done with this shared habitation."

Don pointed at an exam table and looked over at Dr. Garcia. "Is this set up to do a full physical diagnostic?"

"Yes, of course," Dr. Garcia said.

"Dr. Garcia has the reports from the examination he performed just before we left to meet you," Bishop said. "You needn't waste time repeating the procedure."

"I'll decide how to spend my time, Bishop," Don said. "That exam is hours old and I want to know what's happening now. Dr. Garcia can give me the previous notes in order for me to make a comparison. I want to know how quickly you are burning out my brother's body. When I asked you to remain here it was for a reason. The less you move about, the less taxing it will be on Leo's body."

"You didn't exactly ask," Bishop said with a smile.

Don's glare shut off anything else Bishop might have been tempted to say and rather than argue further, Leo followed Don to the exam table and lay down on it as directed.

Relaxing into a suspended state, Bishop relegated himself into the role of observer. When Leo's eyes darted over to Raph, Bishop saw the red banded brother the way that Leonardo did, noting that Raphael kept a wall at his back, letting no one walk behind him. Bishop felt what he could only explain as pride well up inside Leo before the Turtle managed to snuff the emotion.

Leo looked up into Donatello's face as the genius leaned over him, gently attaching electrodes to his head and the skin just above his plastron. Don appeared focused and determined, but as his eyes slid across Leo's, Don gave his brother a soft smile.

Bishop suddenly felt as though Leo were trying harder than usual to hide something and his curiosity was instantly piqued. Earlier Bishop had purposely attempted to anger Raphael, hoping the ensuing fight would force Leo to lower the wall he'd erected between their minds. Leonardo refused to be antagonized and Bishop had backed down.

Something had happened in the last few minutes that allowed Bishop to see Leonardo's defenses waver. The man noticed that certain physiological changes had occurred as soon as Donatello drew close to his brother. Leonardo's heart began to beat a bit faster, his respiration changed slightly, his pulse quickened, and his eyes were now fixed on the purple banded Turtle to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.

Bishop concluded that either Leonardo was more dependent on Donatello than the man had first believed to be true of their family dynamic, or some other factor was at play. He was not the kind of man to jump to conclusions, especially about a set of beings as unique as these mutant turtles were, but he was now determined to pay much closer attention.

Having made no promises with regards to his attempts towards winding his way further into Leonardo's consciousness, Bishop felt no qualms about doing so. There were secrets about the Turtles that he wanted to know; had always wanted to know. Being inside Leonardo was his best opportunity to get those secrets.

That the Turtle he had kidnapped happened to be the most stoic and focused of the group was a massive hurdle; Bishop really would have preferred capturing Raphael. Strong emotions such as anger were easily evoked in someone with the red banded ninja's passions and those types of emotions burned down barriers very quickly.

Leonardo was a definite challenge. Not only did he exert superhuman control over his emotions, he was enough of a strategist to understand that Bishop was trying to weaken his defenses by forcing emotional reactions from the Turtle.

The strongest of emotions was of course love, but it wasn't the emotion that Bishop thought he could use to break Leonardo. The family all loved each other deeply; even Bishop with his dispassionate viewpoint could see that. Leonardo's love of family made him more formidable rather than less.

If however, Leonardo's fondness for one particular family member went beyond the bounds of propriety, Bishop could make use of that. Shame and dishonor could break the blue banded Turtle leader better and faster than anything Bishop had heretofore attempted.

Those feelings could only be evoked if Bishop's hypothesis was correct. It was too soon to tell as yet so Bishop would hold his proverbial tongue and continue to watch. Ferreting out secrets was what Bishop did best and he could be extremely patient about getting them.

But getting them he would. If Leonardo was hiding something from his family, Bishop was certainly well placed to find it. Find it and use it for his own purposes.

He might even decide to keep Donatello. Having someone so intelligent as part of his team would put Bishop light years ahead of his enemies.

Bishop merely needed to rid himself of the rest of the genius' troublesome family. First thing first though; let Donatello create a new body for him.

He didn't much care what happened to Leonardo's body during the process.

TBC….


	6. Part 5

Deterioration  
part 5

Raphael leaned over Don's shoulder, his mouth close to the genius' head so that the two of them wouldn't be overheard. Not far away, Leo sat in a comfortable chair reading a civil war history book.

Don would have preferred that Leo remain on the examination table, but neither Leo nor Bishop responded favorably to the idea. The chair was a compromise and the book came from a collection of similar works in Bishop's office.

With his body angled so he could keep his eyes on Leo, Raph asked, "So what's the story, Don? Ya' ain't moved from this computer in the last six hours."

Donatello's eyes remained on the computer screen, trusting Raph to watch both his back and Leo's. "I had April help me isolate the information that I input into this console in a node of its own inside the mainframe. She's better at this kind of stuff than I am and was able to build a sustainable firewall . . . ."

"Donatello," Raph interrupted, halting his brother mid-speech. "Keep that ta yourself and just tell me stuff that ya' know I'll understand."

"Sorry bro'; nerves," Don apologized, glancing up quickly. "Basically, I've uploaded the data from the initial exam that was done on Leo after Bishop invaded his body. Then I added what I found from my last examination, along with information about our physiology. I need the computer to track and calculate trends for me, but I don't want Bishop's people to get their hands on it."

"You're making sure he don't benefit from this shit," Raph said.

"At least not any more than blackmailing us into building a new body for him," Don replied.

"Ya' working on that too?" Raph asked.

"Yes," Don answered. "I've been reviewing Stockman's notes and the protocols he followed. He took certain shortcuts that aren't documented, so I have to try and re-create what exactly he was thinking. The man may be brilliant, but he played fast and loose with scientific convention."

"If he was really brilliant, he wouldn't have _played_ with Shredder," Raph said dryly.

"True," Don said. "I'm concerned about Leo though. His body temperature jumped half a degree above normal just after the transference took place. It's gone up another quarter degree since then. I had him take something to help reduce the fever, but I think that it's only stabilizing his temperature for now."

"I get the feeling Bishop don't really give a shit if he burns out Leo's body," Raph said, "and that just don't make sense. If something happens ta Leo it's gonna happen ta Bishop too."

Don stopped scrolling through the text on the computer screen and frowned. "It's possible Bishop thinks that the weaker Leo becomes, the easier it will be for Bishop to assume complete control. I don't know enough about this, Raph. I don't know if Bishop can destroy Leo's mind before his body shuts down."

"Can ya' fuck up his new body somehow so if he pulls a stunt like that we can at least kill him too?" Raph asked, keeping his temper in check. He needed to be as clear as possible on everything that was happening or could happen if he was going to protect his brothers.

Turning his head so Raph could see his eyes, Don said, "If he hurts Leo, I'll make the last few minutes of Bishop's miserable life as agonizing as possible."

Raph knew his genius brother could be damn scary at times, but the swirling malignancy inside those dark orbs made him shudder. Bishop appreciated and understood Donatello's intellect, but he obviously underestimated how potentially deadly the normally soft spoken Turtle could become. Raph didn't see his brother as the nerd that Bishop obviously did; Raph knew that Don could blow the entire building to smithereens without blinking an eye.

"Ya' tell me what ta do so it doesn't come ta that, okay Donny?" Raph asked.

Don blinked and his eyes cleared. "We aren't losing Leo. I won't let that happen. For now just help me make sure Leo moves around as little as possible. Do me a favor and keep an eye on that Dr. Garcia too. I don't trust that man."

"I don't trust any of them," Raph said darkly.

Leo's peripheral vision was excellent and despite his efforts to keep his eyes on the pages of the book, Bishop could still see that the other two Turtles were in deep conversation.

_"Your brothers appear to be keeping things from you,"_ Bishop said.

Leo turned a page and replied calmly, _"Actually they are keeping things from you."_

_"Ah, I suppose under normal circumstances they share everything with their leader,"_ Bishop said. _"Does that work both ways?"_

_"We don't keep secrets from each other,"_ Leo told him.

_"Never?"_ Bishop asked. _"That means you never hold anything back?"_

_"I know trust is a difficult concept for you,"_ Leo said, _"but we survive because of it."_

Bishop was quiet for a moment, and then he said, _"I imagine you haven't much practice at lying, but still you're fairly good at it. No change in pulse rate, breathing remains steady, not even a muscular twitch to give you away."_

_"That could be because I'm not lying,"_ Leo said, continuing his study of the book.

Bishop let the silence stretch out, allowing Leo to once more relax. There were things the agent meant to discover, he just needed to find ways to work around Leo's natural reticence.

When sufficient time had passed, Bishop said, _"Donatello intrigues me."_

Leo calmly turned a page as he attempted to ignore the man, and didn't reply.

_"I find myself fascinated by him,"_ Bishop continued. _"On the one hand he seems to have tendencies towards pacifism, but then on the other he can be dangerously radical. He possesses quite possibly the greatest mind of our times, yet he seems perfectly content to apply it towards the most mundane of tasks."_

_"We don't consider trying to live to be a mundane task,"_ Leo muttered.

_"Nice of you to join the conversation,"_ Bishop said. _"I hoped I wouldn't be delivering a soliloquy."_

_"You never struck me as the talkative type,"_ Leo countered. _"I have no problem with silence by the way."_

Bishop chuckled. _"Such a polite way of telling me to stop talking. Normally I'm the less talk more action type, but your brother has forbidden us from physical activity. He can be very forceful. Humor me Leonardo and assuage my curiosity, I'll try to keep my questions harmless."_

_"None of your questions is ever harmless,"_ Leo said. _"Everything you do has an ulterior motive."_

_"You may quite possibly be correct,"_ Bishop said. _"Then consider this a mental exercise; something of a verbal sparring match. Converse with me and attempt to avoid revealing anything you don't want me to know."_

_"I've found that the best way to do that is to avoid talking at all,"_ Leo said.

_"Still in a snit over having been bested by me?"_ Bishop asked. _"Wouldn't you like the opportunity to try to turn our conversation around and dig out some of my secrets?"_

_"You're assuming that I want to know your secrets,"_ Leo said.

_"Of course you do,"_ Bishop snapped. _"Any good commander will avail himself of the opportunity to know more about his enemy."_

Leo's eyes lifted from the book he had stopped trying to read and turned towards his brothers. Raph had returned to his position near the door, his posture both guarded and defiant.

Don's fingers were flying over the computer keyboard and Leo wondered, as he often did, how Don could so quickly manipulate keys that were meant for much smaller fingers.

_"Hiding in the sewers and living underground is a waste of Donatello's potential,"_ Bishop said. _"His is a mind that needs to learn and grow; he'll never have the opportunity to reach a completely fulfilling future under current conditions."_

_"We all have our crosses to bear,"_ Leo said, the voice of his mind soft.

_"Let me make some observations about your family,"_ Bishop said. _"No questions involved. Raphael is an almost perfect warrior; in need of some discipline, but brutally psychotic when it's called for. Going into a fight without him would be unthinkable. Having to fight him at times is a by-product of his passionate temperament. Having you call the shots is undoubtedly necessary given his nature and he knows it, but despite that knowledge, he still finds it irksome."_

_"Don't you have a confidant amongst your own people?"_ Leo asked snidely.

Once more Bishop chuckled. _"They are all yes men; while I applaud that in a subordinate, I also find it to be rather insipid."_

_"Maybe you should take up another profession,"_ Leo murmured sarcastically.

_"Michelangelo strikes me as somewhat of an anomaly,"_ Bishop continued on, undaunted by Leo's causticness. _"He comes across at first blush as bombastic, immature, self-involved, and inane but he is in fact, none of those things. It is a perfect cover for a shrewd intellect and an observant nature. If he ever decides to mature to his full potential, he could become a dangerous adversary and a cunning military campaigner."_

_"Are you going to paraphrase your entire dossier on my family?"_ Leo asked.

_"At the moment it amuses me to do so,"_ Bishop said. _"I'm sure with the access Donatello has to my computer systems he could probably find my more extensive files on you mutants. Speaking of Donatello, as I was earlier, it occurs to me that your family might possibly not understand the incredible uniqueness of his mind."_

_"We understand completely," _Leo said and then immediately wished he hadn't.

Bishop felt he'd scored a minor victory in getting Leonardo to make even that much of an admission. The game that the man was playing was something like verbal lie detection, but rather than ask questions, he attempted to invoke reactions through running commentary.

_"It must bother you to know that if Donatello were human, he would hold a position which would garner him great esteem in the world,"_ Bishop said smoothly. _"Imagine the possibilities that would be open to him; the good he could do, the lives he could save. Instead he's doomed to a life in the sewers, working with scavenged materials and day dreaming about theories he'll never be able to put to the test."_

Leo turned a page in the book a bit faster than he meant to, feeling it crease beneath his fingers. Bishop was echoing thoughts that had disturbed him before; thoughts that Donny was meant for greater things, better things. He never wanted Don to know the guilt he felt because his brother had to be a fighter as well as a scientist, when it was obvious that Don would have been more content with the full time exploration and acquisition of knowledge.

Bishop noticed that Leonardo's composure had slipped minutely during the man's contemplation regarding Donatello's character. The Turtle's demeanor never wavered when Bishop was discussing either Raphael or Michelangelo, but anytime the intellectual sibling was mentioned, Leo's body language changed perceptibly.

In a voice that was calculated in its softness, Bishop said, _"Our problem is that we haven't been working towards a mutually beneficial goal. I see now that was primarily my fault; I misunderstood the full significance of your mutation. Rather than looking upon you four as potential research material, I should have offered your family a chance to collaborate with me."_

_"You needn't prove to me that you can be suave and persuasive when you want something,"_ Leo told him. _"Just as you needn't give me another opportunity to see proof that you can't be trusted."_

_"I've earned the skepticism," _Bishop admitted. _"Hear me out anyway, you haven't anything better to do, and I know that book isn't all that captivating. Suppose I could offer Donatello a life that would better suit his temperament? As you've seen, these facilities contain equipment that is years ahead of anything that can be found elsewhere on earth. Working with me, he would have access to every bit of it. No expense would be spared in providing him with everything he could possibly need to do research in a field of his choosing. I wouldn't limit him at all; if he wanted to pursue several different specialties I would fully support his choices."_

_"You want Donatello to become your employee?"_ Leo asked incredulously.

_"Not an employee,"_ Bishop corrected_, "an associate. If you think about it, the goals that your family has tasked yourselves with are almost perfectly aligned with my own, it's merely a matter of scope. You choose to protect a city; I must protect an entire world. By becoming a part of my team, Donatello would not fundamentally change what any of you has been raised to accomplish."_

_"The catch being that Don would remain here with you,"_ Leo said darkly.

_"Not at all,"_ Bishop replied affably. _"He could come and go as he pleases. Or I could arrange a place, a real _home_, for your family to occupy. You would interact with people who would respect and look up to you as contributing members of society, rather than hidden and mysterious freaks of nature."_

_"You talk a good game, Bishop,"_ Leo said with a slight laugh. _"The difficulty is that your actions and methods speak louder than your words. I think you've finally come to realize that Donatello's value is in what he can do with his brain, rather than in what you can find by opening up his head. While he is worth more to you alive than dead, I hold no illusions that you have the same type of regard for the rest of my family."_

Bishop snorted. _"Even if that were true, what could I do to you that wouldn't have an adverse effect on Donatello?"_

_"Accidents happen, people disappear,"_ Leo said. _"Not for one minute do I think that this is the only research facility in your purview. You're paranoid enough to make sure that any operation under your command be a separate entity and unknown to the others."_

_"And you fear that I would slowly make each of you vanish while Donatello is otherwise occupied? That I am callous enough to take advantage of your brother's intellect here in New York while other scientists are dissecting you in some other part of the country?"_ Bishop asked.

_"Tell me you aren't capable of that type of subterfuge,"_ Leo said.

With a short laugh, Bishop said, _"Of course I am. Wouldn't my assurances regarding your safety make a difference?"_

_"I'll take your word only so far, Bishop,"_ Leo said. _"If it became advantageous to you to break your word, I have no illusions about your doing so."_

_"Then I suppose we're at an impasse until I can prove I've had a change of heart," _Bishop said. _"I'll ask that you don't dismiss my offer out of hand; it wouldn't be fair to Donatello if you weren't to give him a chance to pursue his dreams."_

Closing his eyes, Leo noticed that they were beginning to feel both heavy and heated. He hadn't done anything physical, but still felt fatigued. Mentally jousting with Bishop was taxing his strength and Leo had to believe that the man found it to be just as tiring. However, Leo had no illusions about Bishop's purpose in wearing them both out.

Leo suddenly shivered, feeling a slight chill. He'd been sitting too long; unless meditating he was unused to long bouts of inactivity.

Before Leo had a chance to do much more than shift in his chair, Donny was kneeling in front of him with an anxious look on his face. Leo hadn't seen him move; hadn't even thought that Don was looking in his direction.

"Leo, are you okay?" Don asked in a hushed and concerned tone of voice.

"If I said yes, would you believe me?" Leo returned with a hint of humor.

"No," Don said. "I saw you shiver and your color is off."

Bishop remained silent, observing the exchange between the two brothers. He felt Leonardo's heart thump wildly for a brief three beats when Donatello set a hand on his brother's knee. The way it stopped racing so quickly wasn't natural and Bishop knew that Leonardo was consciously attempting to control his reactions.

Lifting a hand to Leo's forehead and then to his cheek, Don gauged how warm his brother was compared to the last time he'd recorded a temperature.

"I need to move around Don, that's all," Leo explained.

"You have chills because you have a fever," Don said flatly. "A fever requires rest, not movement. I need for you to stay hydrated and I'd really like for you to lie down, but I'm guessing you still think that's unnecessary."

"We will not be sleeping anytime soon," Bishop said, finally joining the conversation. "I am unused to it and I've found that people are more motivated to work when they know they are being monitored."

"In case you've forgotten, we're not people," Don responded in a sharp tone. "Your Dr. Garcia and his staff are doing an excellent job of getting under my feet so having you do the same thing isn't required."

"Donny," Leo broke in, shoving Bishop's control aside. "If I feel tired I'll lean back in this chair and sleep, whether Bishop wants to or not. Right now I'd just like to stay alert, all right?"

Don studied Leo's expression and thought he understood. Leo was blocking Bishop from his inner most thoughts and could continue to block him as long as he was conscious. Doing so was obviously an effort and Leo was concerned he wouldn't be able to maintain his shield if he fell asleep.

Managing a small smile, Don nodded, reaching out to squeeze Leo's hand briefly. When he stood up and walked away, Leo's eyes followed him for a moment before he jerked his head around and turned his attention back to the book in his lap.

_"It must be difficult having the one very special brother and trying not to play favorites,"_ Bishop said very softly.

Leo took a deep breath, reminding himself to read absolutely nothing into Bishop's comments. _"Each of my brothers has special strengths, as you noted yourself. I lead them according to their individual temperaments. There is no favoritism."_

_"Then you are more unique than I've given you credit for,"_ Bishop said. _"Because if it were me, I would never allow Donatello to walk into harm's way."_

_"I hope you remember that the next time you feel the urge to hunt us down,"_ Leo countered.

Bishop had a reply ready, but held it as Dr. Garcia approached him. The scientist stopped in front of him, his lips twisting in indecision.

"Go ahead and speak, doctor," Bishop said aloud. "We haven't any secrets at the moment."

"Agent Bishop, the turtle has commandeered file space in the main frame and we have no access," Dr. Garcia said. "One of our best programmers tried to retrieve information from the node but was completely unsuccessful."

Bishop chuckled. "You should have asked me first. I would have told you not to waste the time and effort. When I explained to you that Donatello is a genius, did you think I meant that he was just a bit smarter than average? Or are you underestimating his intellect because of his unusual appearance?"

"But we have no way of knowing what he is working on unless he chooses to tell us," Dr. Garcia said, flinging his hands around in his agitation.

"What would you do if you had that information, attempt to second guess him?" Bishop asked. "He will explain things to you once he begins to need your assistance. Until then, remain alert and attentive."

Dr. Garcia straightened his shoulders, giving his superior a curt nod before storming across to his desk and flinging himself into a chair.

Leo watched the doctor for a moment longer, noting that his frustration held just a hint of anger. Turning his head, he glanced at his brothers, attempting to appear to observers and Bishop alike that he was merely checking on them.

Don was engrossed in something on the computer, but Raph had been watching the exchange between Dr. Garcia and Bishop, just as Leo knew he would be. Making sure to look directly into Raph's eyes for a brief second, Leo returned his attention to the book on his lap.

Lifting his hand, Leo flexed his fingers a bit, moving them around before turning a page. From the corner of his eye, Leo saw Raph slowly lower and lift his head, acknowledging that he had received his brother's surreptitious message.

Dr. Garcia wasn't going to have time to become a nuisance to Donny if that was what he was contemplating. Raph had been warned to watch the doctor's every move and if there was one thing the hot head was good at, it was recognizing mischief before it got a chance to start.

If 'alert and attentive' was Bishop's way of delivering a coded message to his man, the agent was going to find out that two could play that game.

TBC…..


	7. Part 6

Deterioration  
part 6

Raph was starting to worry that both of his brothers were going to pass out from exhaustion.

They had been in Bishop's stronghold for seventeen hours. Adding to that the five or six hours they'd been awake after their usual afternoon naps, none of them had slept in quite a while.

It wasn't as though they weren't used to exceptionally long hours without sleep; all of them had times where they'd been in situations that required they stay alert. Don tended to do that more than the others, and Raph could survive on power naps. Leo frequently used light meditation to rest without actually sleeping and was able to get by quite well that way.

The problem was that Leo was sharing his body with Agent Bishop, which was taxing his strength and threatening his health. Don had whispered to Raph the reason why Leo was refusing sleep and Raph knew his oldest brother was doing the best thing he could. That didn't mean that Raph wasn't scared for him.

In the last couple of hours Don had abandoned his computers and begun running tests using the genetic material located in the other section of the lab. There was a gleam in the genius' eyes that told Raph, who knew him well, that Don was onto something.

As elated as Raph felt about that, he was also in something of a quandary. Leo's signal to him those long hours ago was very clear; Dr. Garcia needed to be watched and Donatello was not to be left unguarded. Master Splinter's instructions to Raph were also crystal clear; protect Don and Leo.

Raph was reminded of a character in one of Mikey's comic books who had the ability to duplicate themselves at will. He wished his mutation had given him that same gift, Raph could sure use the extra set of eyes.

Master Splinter had also insisted on keeping Mikey with him in case someone had to break into Bishop's facility on a rescue mission. Raph understood the logic behind that but it didn't keep him from making a second wish; this one for his little brother's company.

He could have used Mikey's help, though he'd never admit that to the nut ball. Not only did Mikey have a seemingly endless supply of energy, but he would have gotten inside Dr. Garcia's brain by now and figured out what the man was up to. In another life, Mikey would have been a great psychologist.

Raph couldn't get Leo to sleep and he couldn't talk Don into it either, but at least he was making sure they ate. Bishop's kitchen staff were on the ball; Raph's specific requests had been met without question, the food delivered on a cart with each plate covered so it stayed fresh.

Since no one knew which of the Turtles would eat what food, it was a safe bet that the meal hadn't been tampered with. Leo took his time consuming his bowl of plain rice and fish, his favorite comfort food. Raph had no idea if Bishop liked fish and didn't really give a damn. If he wanted to inhabit someone's body, he would have to deal with the consequences.

For Don and himself Raph had settled on sandwiches and fruit. From experience Raph knew that Don would be more likely to eat if the food was portable, and had watched the genius carry half a sandwich around the room, waving it in the air between bites as he issued instructions to the scientists who were working for him.

Whatever had crawled into the genius' head now had him so focused that he had fallen off communicating with April and that job by necessity went to Raph. When he sent a message to April letting her know what was happening, she replied that it was a good sign. If Don was behaving that way it meant he had a solid idea. Big sis knew Don almost as well as Raph did.

Right at this particular moment, Raph was eyeing Dr. Garcia. He could see that Don's flurry of activity was exciting the man; the earlier sullen attitude was gone, replaced by grudging admiration. Dr. Garcia was following Donatello around like a wagging tail and as Don didn't seem to mind, Raph held his tongue.

Since the best perch Raph could come up with to keep both science labs under his watchful eye was the door between the two, that's where the red banded Turtle was. With Don in the genetic material lab, Raph's focus was primarily on him, but movement in the transference room caught the corner of his eye. When he turned his head, Raph saw that Leo was standing up.

Raph pushed away from the door frame he'd been leaning against and strode across the room towards his oldest brother. As Raph approached, he saw Leo bend over and flatten his palms against the floor, obviously stretching.

"Ya' ain't supposed ta be moving around, Leo," Raph reminded him.

His brother sighed and straightened up. "I have to move a little otherwise my muscles are going to atrophy," Leo said with a small smile.

Raph's lips twitched, he understood how cramped and useless Leo was probably feeling, but Don's instructions were pretty specific.

"I don't want ta come off as the bad guy bro', but Don said physical activity of any kind would only raise your temperature even further," Raph said.

"I am not aware of any ill effects from the elevated body temperature," Bishop broke in to say.

"Shut up, Bishop, I wasn't talking ta ya'," Raph snapped.

"If yours was a trained scientific mind you would find my observations to be invaluable," Bishop said.

Raph worked to control his temper, determined not to allow Bishop to goad him. Engaging in an argument with the man while he was in his brother's body would only agitate Leo, and that would do even more damage.

"Leo, do ya' feel dizzy or light headed or anything?" Raph asked. "Any body aches? Ya' know, like when ya' catch a cold."

"No, nothing like that," Leo said. "I think I'm still running just a low grade fever though."

Raph could see by the way Leo's eyelids drooped that he was tired, but it didn't surprise him that Leo wouldn't admit to that.

"It isn't in my best interest to have this body burn out too soon either, Raphael," Bishop interjected.

"'Too soon' and 'not ever' are two separate things," Raph said as his eyes narrowed. "The only reason Don and me are helping ya' is ta save Leo; if something happens ta him then ya' ain't got any leverage with us. Ya' need ta remember that."

"I wasn't aware that you were being of much help," Bishop countered, "although you have the makings of a very good waiter."

Raph grinned. "What's your real problem, Bishop? Ya' miss them alien probes? That why ya' spend so much time looking for 'em?"

"If you are so curious about probes, I would be more than happy to satisfy you," Bishop said.

"Ya' ain't my type," Raph growled. "I'm pretty sure ya' ain't anybody's type, unless they're skinny, gray, and come from another planet."

"I'm sure if we were to be visited again by those aliens, they would be delighted to trade some of their tech for one of you Turtles," Bishop told him. "Preferably you since you are the least useful one in the group."

Chuckling, Raph said, "Your pale ass got 'em off the last time, I doubt they'd be willing ta settle for anything else the second go round. Don't worry; I'm sure the government will make 'em pay first this time. Since you're such a whore, I'll bet that appeals ta ya'."

Leo didn't bother wasting energy to try and stop the conversation. Raph appeared to be calm and to actually be enjoying the banter, and for once Bishop wasn't saying anything that was overly malicious.

"I would have thought the idea of pushing Leo aside would have appealed to you," Bishop said in a nastier tone. "Hasn't it always been your wish to be the leader? Without the perfect Leonardo around to outshine you, maybe your Father might find something worthwhile in you."

Raph knew none of that was true; that his Father loved and respected him and his abilities, and that Leo had been chosen as their leader for other esoteric qualities beyond his fighting prowess. In fact, Raph had finally at some point in his life had an epiphany of sorts and realized that he didn't _want_ to be the leader. He had watched that burden weigh Leo down numerous times and the allure had worn off long ago.

That didn't mean that hearing Bishop pick at the old, closed over scar didn't bother him, and Raph felt himself growing angry.

"Trying ta keep up the appearance of being human is damn important ta ya', ain't it, Bishop? Ya' lost that privilege a long time ago and it pisses ya' off that without your fake body, ya' don't pass for anything remotely human," Raph said. "Hell, we may be mutated turtles, but at least the four of us look like something that belongs on Earth."

Of course the conversation had gotten out of hand and now it was time for Leo to put a stop to it. He could feel the tension in Bishop; the need that the man had to not be outdone by Raph's taunting. The problem was that Bishop's ire was too strong for Leo to push aside as the Turtle tried to assert himself. Leo suddenly felt extremely tired and more than a little lightheaded.

Leo was going to have to exert a fair amount of energy in order to break up the growing fight and he wasn't sure he had it in him.

Just as Leo tapped into his small energy reserves, Don suddenly appeared. The genius looked both concerned and quite angry.

"Why are you standing up?" Don demanded, quickly gripping Leo's arm and tugging him back into the chair. Don shot a reproachful look in Raph's direction. "You aren't supposed to be arguing with either of them, Raph. It takes too much out of Leo; can't you see how pale he is?"

"'M sorry, Donny," Raph muttered contritely, upset that he'd even talked to Bishop, much less gotten into an altercation with the man. "I only came over ta get Leo ta sit down again."

"That certainly doesn't involve words," Don snapped as he proved his point. Turning his head to Leo, Don said, "Bishop, you should be able to feel the debilitating effects your presence is having on Leonardo's body, even if you don't want to admit it. I think you're experimenting on my brother; you see this as a prime opportunity to dissect him from within. That is unacceptable to me and in case I didn't make that plain enough to begin with, let me reiterate. My brother's health and well-being are of the utmost importance to me, everything else is secondary. Stop trying to injure him further than you already have or I'm going to take steps that will be extremely distasteful to you."

Dr. Garcia had come over when he heard the raised voices and now stood on the periphery of the small group, listening to their conversation. Bishop glanced at him and saw the almost imperceptible nod of the doctor's head.

"Despite my enforced incapacitation, don't think I haven't noticed the flurry of activity, Donatello," Bishop said. "You've gone from working exclusively at the computer to running back and forth between labs. I wanted to be kept apprised of your activities and you have shared nothing. If I'm forced to get up and go looking for answers, then I will."

"I think I've discovered the problem that is causing the deterioration of the DNA cells within the cloned genetic material," Don said. "I've been running a few tests in order to prove my theory."

"Explain it to me," Bishop said. "Don't worry about whether I'll understand or not; believe me when I tell you that I have an extraordinary grasp of the subject."

"Ya' ought ta," Raph mumbled sarcastically beneath his breath.

Don ignored him. "The underlying causation of the instability in the genetic sample isn't in the DNA structure at all. That has been studied by all of your scientists, including Stockman, so when I began looking at the work, I only gave that a cursory perusal. Taking a small section of the genetic material and growing enough to manufacture an entire body is a simple enough procedure; even Dr. Garcia could do it."

As mad at Bishop as Raph was, he couldn't resist a quick glance in Dr. Garcia's direction. It gave the Turtle no end of satisfaction to see the doctor flush crimson at Don's dig.

"The cells are breaking down at a molecular level, Donatello," Bishop said.

"But not at a macromolecular level," Don told him. "The nucleotide strands show no degradation whatsoever. Replicating them a hundred fold doesn't cause any variance in the strand."

"Then why do we have instability in the larger genetic sample created from the molecular cells?" Bishop asked.

"Because the degradation is in the bonding molecule," Don said. Bishop's head came up, sudden understanding flashing across Leo's face as the man reacted to the information.

Leo was not a scientist however, and he wanted to try to understand what Don had discovered. "Can you tell me what that means?" Leo asked.

"If you take a DNA strand and replicate it, you have a lot of strands," Don explained. "Those are macromolecules. To create a cell from them, they have to be given a marker to bond them together. These are the side pieces and bases attached to the ladder-like arrangement of the two nucleotide strands. While DNA strands are self-replicating by nature, they resist degradation. The side pieces however, give us our individual traits and are subject to . . . idiosyncrasies."

"That means they don't act the same from person to person," Raph said.

"Exactly," Don replied, giving his brother a small smile. "Even within a single person, the sequence of the bases can be varied, so we know they aren't replicated the way that the DNA strands themselves are."

"So if they aren't built through a process of replication the way that the strands are, how are they implanted into the DNA?" Leo asked.

"They're copied," Don answered. "Replication and copying are two separate things. Bishop has been copying his side pieces and bases from the original genetic material that made up his body after his first encounter with the aliens."

"Okay," Raph said. "Ya' make a copy of something; it's the same as the original. So what's the problem?"

"A copy isn't the same as the original," Don said. "Say for instance I print out a picture of a man in a striped shirt and take it to a copy machine. I make a copy of it, then I place the copy on the machine and make a copy from that. After I've made about five copies, I hold the original up next to the fifth copy made exclusively from other copies. The man is no longer standing in the center of the page, his facial features are no longer crisply clear, and the stripes are starting to melt into each other."

"This is a huge breakthrough, Donatello," Bishop said, his voice holding a touch of awe. "Why didn't Dr. Stockman see this?"

"Stockman was looking at the strands themselves for answers," Don said. "He was replacing some of the molecules and splicing in new ones with features that would strengthen the genetic tissue. That science was useful and the difference in your new body would be noticeable, but it didn't address the problem of bonding those new molecules together. The degraded cells would eventually become unstable no matter how strong the tissue development might be. We need to replace the bonding molecule with as pure a copy as possible."

"Is that what you've been trying to do in the lab?" Bishop asked.

"Yes," Don said. "I've been looking at all of the genetic material that's been stored, trying to find a sample from your original body. You have a lot of tissue samples out there, and they aren't all properly catalogued. That was a task Stockman would have thought beneath himself and delegated to someone who probably didn't have the correct credentials to do that kind of work."

"Dr. Garcia should be assisting you," Bishop said, shooting a look at his underling.

"He is," Don assured the man. "Dr. Garcia has been a great deal of help, but you haven't. Instead of being out there searching for the sample I need, I'm in here breaking up an argument between two individuals who don't seem to be capable of leaving well enough alone."

"My sincere apologies, Donatello," Bishop said regretfully. "The enforced inactivity is wearing on my nerves and I couldn't resist the urge for a little verbal exchange with your hot headed brother. He rises to the bait so easily."

"You're still doing it," Don chastised. "Raph has a job to do and that's to look after our brother. He has a right to question you if you seem to be doing something that isn't in Leo's best interest. Raph is not here for your entertainment and neither is Leo."

"I'll try hard to contain myself," Bishop promised.

"See that you do," Don said. "I'd rather not be forced to do it for you. Leo wouldn't care for it."

Leo pushed his way forward to say, "Don, I'll be fine. Concentrate on finding the sample you need. Raph is doing a great job of watching over me, it isn't his fault that Bishop is behaving petulantly."

_"Ouch,"_ Bishop thought to Leo. _"Now I feel like an errant child."_

Don squatted in front of his brother, both hands on Leo's knees as he leaned forward to gaze into Leo's face. He seemed to be looking for something there, and Leo held perfectly still, enraptured by Don's nearness. His legs, touching Don's sides, tingled pleasurably at the contact and his heart beat faster.

"I'm going to get Bishop out of you," Don said in a low voice. "Just hang on for me, will you do that Leo?"

"Of course I will," Leo responded, his voice equally as soft. "I've never doubted that you'd find the answer, Donny."

Don smiled at him, lightly squeezing his knees before standing up. Placing a hand on Raph's shoulder, Don drew his brother away from Leo.

Once they were across the room and Raph was again standing in the doorway where he'd been earlier, Don gave his shoulder a pat. Pulling his hand back, Don rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Are ya' getting a headache?" Raph asked with concern.

"A little one," Don admitted. He looked up at Raph and sighed. "I know it's hard, Raph; we all hate Bishop, but while he's inside Leo's body you can't let him bait you."

Raph nodded. "I know. He gets my goat. I'm looking at Leo, my _brother_, and I'm hearing Bishop's smug, self-satisfied voice coming out of him and it pisses me off. He had no right ta do that ta Leo and he's gonna get what he wants because of it. I hate that, Donny."

"Bishop has a gift for survival," Don admitted. "Making him pay for his treachery isn't our main goal though. We have to stay focused on why we're here, and it has nothing to do with giving Bishop anything. It has to do with saving Leo. If we keep thinking of this as a rescue mission we should both be able to keep our tempers in check."

"I got your point," Raph said. "Ya' know, usually Leo would have jumped in and put a stop ta our argument long before ya' ever stepped in. It ain't just his color that's off; so is his breathing. I know he was trying ta hide it from me, but he's way past just being tired."

"Raph," Don whispered conspiratorially, "I'm thinking about giving Leo a sedative to knock him out."

"I thought Leo wanted ta stay sharp," Raph said.

"He's afraid to sleep because he knows that Bishop won't," Don said. "I'm hoping that a tranquilizer will force both of them to rest; that way Leo won't need to worry about Bishop invading his portion of their shared mind."

Raph frowned. "How do ya know a tranquilizer won't just knock Leo out and leave Bishop free ta roam around in there?"

Don passed a hand across his mouth and then rubbed it over his bald dome. "I don't," he replied with some frustration, "that's why I've been hesitant about using that option. But pretty soon I'm going to have to try something; Leo's body has to rest, it's fighting too hard and the strain is going to start affecting his internal organs before long."

"Maybe ya' can get Bishop's new body built before it gets ta that point," Raph said reassuringly. "If ya' think we need ta knock him out, then I'll back your play. The most critical secret in Leo's head is where we live and if we think that's been compromised we can always move. Ain't like we haven't done that before."

Bishop couldn't help but be impressed by Leonardo's focus and control. He knew the young Turtle was exhausted and ill, the pain in his joints could be felt by Bishop as well. His eyes burned slightly, his head had begun to ache, and there was a minute tremor in his hands. Yet Leonardo continued to block Bishop from entering a portion of his mind; the barrier as solid as when the ninja had first erected it.

Physical cues were something that Leonardo couldn't control quite so well and while they told Bishop how ill the Turtle was becoming, they also clued him into other things. Bishop had grown more suspicious about something with each passing hour that he spent inside of Leonardo's body and he now felt ready to present his theory to the Turtle in question.

Donatello had just finished conversing with Raphael and was now seated at his computer. Leonardo's eyes had been glued to Don since his brother had walked away. The blue banded brother was seemingly unaware of how much of his feelings he was telegraphing to Bishop; either that or he didn't care at the moment. Bishop wanted to know which it was.

_"Why haven't you done anything about your feelings, Leonardo?"_ Bishop asked as he watched Donatello through Leo's eyes.

Leo felt his heart jump into his throat and he pulled his gaze off of Don. _"I don't know what you're talking about,"_ Leo replied stiffly.

Bishop made a derisive sound. _"You've managed to shield nearly all of your secrets from me, but this one is too strong. Whenever Donatello is in the same room with you, your pulse quickens, your heart rate accelerates, your pupils dilate, and your nasal passages widen to take in more of his scent. You don't even notice the musk from Raphael, but Donatello's starts a fire in your gut."_

_"That's enough,"_ Leo snapped. _"Don is my brother and nothing more. Playing mind games with me is pointless, Bishop."_

_"We have nothing better to do,"_ Bishop said with a smirk. _"We're in here together and those feelings you're experiencing are fascinating. I haven't felt anything like them in years. What exactly bothers you? Is it the incest or the fact that you'd have to lower that famous guard of yours in order to get closer to Donatello?"_

_"I'm not having this discussion with you,"_ Leo muttered darkly.

_"Don't tell me you're afraid of something after all. I thought Raphael referred to you as 'Fearless' because you'd take on anything,"_ Bishop said. _"Surely this is a challenge you'd be most interested in pursuing; it isn't as though you're going to ever have a chance at any other kind of relationship. From all I've seen, women are not flowing into the sewers for an opportunity to roll in filth with you."_

_"Leave it alone, Bishop,"_ Leo said, his tone dangerous.

_"Is this why you refuse to discuss an alternative life for Donatello?"_ Bishop asked. _"Are you afraid he'll leave you? Is it your selfishness that is holding him back?"_

"Shut up!" Leo yelled out loud, jumping out of his chair, chest heaving. For one second, his guard came down and Bishop rushed towards the opening.

Dropping to the ground, Leo pounded the floor with the side of his fist, pushing back against Bishop's onslaught. He was groaning and writhing as he fought to rebuild the shield between himself and Bishop's consciousness.

Thoroughly alarmed, Don dove out of his chair, knocking it over in the process. Raph was moving as well, but Don beat him, throwing himself onto his knees beside Leo and wrapping his arms around his brother.

Leo felt Don's arms go around him and whimpered at the contact. Somehow he equated his brother's touch into a need to protect him from Bishop, and that gave Leo the strength to push his defenses back into place.

"Stop it, Bishop!" Don exclaimed, pulling Leo tight against his body. "Whatever you're doing; whatever you're saying, stop it now or I won't help you!"

Bishop immediately pulled back, retreating into the portion of Leo's mind that he'd taken control of. He forced himself into a tranquil state; allowing Leo to feel his nonaggressive posture so that the Turtle could relax.

Slowly Leo's breathing eased and his shaking stopped. He still shivered uncontrollably, feeling suddenly very cold, and the muscles throughout his body ached.

"Leo, oh god Leo," Don murmured, holding his brother and rocking in an unconscious effort to ease Leo's suffering.

As horrible as Leo felt, he thought he could endure the pain forever if Don would continue to hold him like this. Leo twisted around in his brother's arms so that he could embrace Don, pressing his beak against Don's neck and letting the genius soothe him.

Looking past Leo's head, Don caught Raph's eye. "Get a dose of liquid Ibuprofen from Dr. Garcia, he knows how much."

Raph ran over to where the doctor was standing, frozen in place by the sudden outburst. He had to shake the man to get him moving.

While Don waited, he retained his grip on Leo. "I'm so sorry, Leo. I'll work harder and faster, I promise," he whispered against Leo's ear slit. "I don't want to lose you, so please, _please_ hold on for me."

"I will," Leo whispered in return. "I'm okay, it's fine. Don't worry, Donny, I'm not going anywhere. I could never leave you."

Raph appeared, a small cup in his hand. Don reached for it and then slid his head back from Leo's so that he could hold the cup near his brother's mouth.

"Drink this," Don said, touching the cup to Leo's lips.

Leo didn't remove his arms from his brother's shoulders; he tipped his head back and let Don pour the liquid into his mouth. Leo's eyes never left Don's face as he was ministered to and as soon as the medicine was down, he plunged into the hollow at the base of Don's neck once more.

At Don's insistence, Leo allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Some silent message must have passed between his two brothers, because as soon as Leo was upright, Raph picked him up, dislodging his hold on Don. Carrying Leo to one of the cots that had been placed in the room, Raph set his brother down and Don tucked a blanket around him.

Kneeling next to the bed, Don took hold of one of Leo's hands and looked into his eyes. "I don't want to leave you."

"You have to," Leo said with a tired smile. "Do what you do best, Donny."

"Raph will stay here with you," Don said. "I don't need a guardian, but I can't work unless I know someone is monitoring you."

Don looked up at Raph, who was standing over him. Leo saw a silent message pass between them.

"No," Leo whispered. When Don turned back to him, Leo said, "I'll rest, but don't give me anything, Don. It's important that I remain alert."

Don bit his lower lip before saying, "I'll hold off for now, but don't ask me to promise, Leo."

"It isn't just secrets," Leo said, his voice so low that Don had to lean in to hear him. "If he gets in, I'll have no place to go."

Don instantly understood, his grip on Leo's hand tightening for just a moment before he jumped to his feet. Relinquishing his hold on his brother, Don told Raph, "Stay with him. I have to get that new body made."

The panic in Don's eyes registered with Raph and his hands clenched around the handles of his sais in response.

"What is it? What else is wrong?" Raph demanded.

"I can't explain right now," Don said as he moved back toward the lab. "Just watch him, Raph. I have to hurry."

Raph's mouth opened to ask for more information, but Don was already gone. Glancing down at Leo, he saw his brother was staring at the ceiling through half closed eyes. Leo hadn't looked so sick since the time that Shredder had attacked him and sent his body hurtling through April's apartment window.

That time was the closest they'd ever come to losing Leo for good. Raph started to feel the first stirrings of panic and thought he understood why Don had rushed off.

TBC….


	8. Part 7

Deterioration  
part 7

Raph leaned forward to touch his hand to Leo's forehead, grimacing at how hot his brother's skin was. His temperature had been rising steadily and two hours earlier Don had called for a large tub of some sort to be brought into the room.

Bishop's people had arrived with a galvanized watering trough that Raph had ordered to be filled with tepid water. Once that was done, Raph had placed Leo into it. Raph had felt immeasurable relief at how quickly that had pushed the fever back, but unfortunately it was a short lived reprieve.

Raph wasn't sure how much longer Leo could hold on. His brother was doing his damndest to control the pain that he was experiencing, even joking that Raph should find him some bubble bath. Raph knew his brother too well though; Leo's stoic refusal to acknowledge any weakness was for his siblings benefit as much as his own. Convincing himself that he felt strong was a training trick that Leo used when he wanted to continue practicing even after his body was exhausted.

The fact that Leo's temperature was going up again left Raph with something of a dilemma. He had promised to tell Don if that started to happen, but doing so meant interrupting the genius. Raph had been forced by circumstances to discontinue his careful watch over Don in order to remain by Leo's side. Now Raph would have to leave Leo for several minutes so that he could get Don's attention.

Don hadn't been in the transference room for almost two hours. If not for the bustle of activity from the other scientists, Raph would have been worried not to have seen the genius in so long. Since Raph knew that Bishop's people had no clue where to begin in building a new body for their boss, it was obvious that Don was somewhere in the genetics lab directing their work.

Huffing in frustration, Raph once more felt Leo's forehead and then his cheek, gauging the fever's progression. One of Bishop's men had left a temporal scanner on a nearby table, but neither Raph nor Don bothered with it. They had grown up without even a simple thermometer and had learned to tell temperature by touch.

Leo's eyes fluttered open and he looked at Raph. For one heart stopping second, Raph saw no recognition of him in them; his brother's eyes were totally blank. Then life flooded them, followed quickly by a weak smile.

"Hey," Leo said.

"Hey yourself," Raph replied. "How ya' doing?"

"I've been better," Leo quipped lightly.

"Ya' resting?" Raph asked, knowing that Leo hadn't been asleep.

"As much as I can," Leo answered honestly.

Raph pressed his lips together and then opened them to say, "I need ta leave ya' for a minute, will ya' be all right?"

"To check on Donny?" Leo asked. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." Raph stood up, placing his hand on Leo's shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze before walking quickly into the next room.

Raph stopped just past the doorway and scanned the larger genetics lab, growing worried when he didn't see Donatello right away. A flash of olive green caught the corner of his eye and Raph spotted his brother inside one of the clean rooms, his face just visible through the giant white suit he was wearing.

Don must have sensed Raph's presence, or else he was watching for him, because he waved a gloved hand at the red banded Turtle. Turning towards the two scientists who were in the room with him, he pointed at something before moving his hands as though speaking. One of the scientists nodded and then Don left the room.

Quickly pulling off the hood to his clean suit, Don made his way hastily over to where Raphael was standing.

"Is something wrong?" Don asked before he was even halfway there.

"The fever's going up again," Raph said. "He's still fighting sleep and a second ago when he looked at me, his eyes were kind of glazed over and . . . and _dull_. Like he didn't know who I was. I think he's hurting too, but he won't tell me."

"I'm loathe to ice the water," Don said anxiously. "Even if we wrap a rubber suit around his body to protect it from frostbite there's still the fact that he's a turtle and our bodies aren't designed to withstand cold. It might do more harm than good. I'm going to have to start an IV drip, probably Hartmann's, so you'll need to watch in case it makes him drowsy. Don't let him fall asleep."

"Ya' told me that before," Raph said, stepping in front of Don as he started to move away. "Give me three minutes and tell me why, 'cause right now it looks ta me as if sleep would be a good idea. Hell, ya' were the one who said ya' might have ta sedate him."

"That was before," Don said, darting past Raph to a nearby phone.

Raph waited semi-patiently as Don called someone and requested bags of Hartmann's solution. When the genius replaced the receiver, Raph blocked off his frantic movements once more.

"Before what?" Raph demanded. "What did Leo tell ya' earlier?"

Don faced him, his expression grim. "Leo has created a barricade in his mind, hiding a large piece of himself and our secrets from Bishop . . . ."

"I already know that . . . ." Raph began.

". . . . and that isn't all it's doing," Don said. "The barricade is preventing Bishop from taking over completely. Leo is sure that if he loses consciousness the barricade will come down and Bishop's mind will rush in to occupy the space. If he pushes Leo's mind out, it won't have any place to go."

Raph opened his mouth to say something but the words died as he caught on to what Don was telling him. After a second, he asked, "He'll die?"

"Everything that is Leo other than his physical form will," Don said. "Bishop will occupy and completely control his body."

"Why the fuck would he do that?" Raph asked. "Ya' already told him that if he hurts Leo you'll hurt him back, and he sure as hell has ta know he ain't getting a new body from ya' if that happens."

"This is Bishop we're talking about," Don said. "I think 'hidden agenda' is his middle name. His thirst for knowledge might be driving him; maybe the idea of Leo being his new body is becoming more and more attractive. If he can gain access to everything Leo knows, he'll have every bit of knowledge about us and our mutation that can be had. Of course, the sensory factor can't be discounted either."

Raph's scowl was growing deeper by the second. "What the hell is a sensory factor?"

Don rubbed his chin worriedly. "I don't think Bishop's cloned bodies work exactly the same as the one a person is born into. The nerve endings are all in place just as they should be, but judging from our past experiences with the man; I don't think he feels things the way normal humans feel them. Pain registers eventually, but the cloned tissue isn't as easily damaged, so the pain thresholds are higher.

"The same could hold true for other senses; he doesn't feel the sun's warmth, or the coolness of rain, or even pleasure. His fingers can touch something and register what the object is; his visual acuity is above average, as is his hearing and sense of smell. But his brain processes the scent of coffee as 'coffee' without telling him that it smells good. Sleeping on silk sheets would feel the same to him as sleeping on sheets caked in dried mud."

When he paused, Raph jumped in. "You're telling me that for the first time since he lost his true body he's really feeling things again?"

Don nodded and began removing the rest of his clean suit. "I'm pretty sure that's part of why Bishop is so fanatical about destroying any type of alien life form. His greatest loss was his humanity, and all the new cloned bodies in the world won't give that back to him. The longer that he's in Leo's body, the more in touch with those long lost feelings he'll become. After regaining them, Bishop may not be willing to give them up again."

Raph processed that for a minute and then asked, "Ya' realize what that would mean for us, don't ya'?"

"Yes. If Bishop takes over Leo's body and kills our brother, it means he's decided that we aren't of any use to him. He'll have plenty of time to take what I've already shown his scientists and play around with building himself the perfect replica body for future habitation. He won't require my input or your interference. We'll wind up as the newest guests on his dissection table," Don answered.

"If Leo can hold on until ya' get the new body made, how the fuck are ya' gonna get Bishop out of him? I hate that man's guts, but he ain't stupid. He has ta know that Leo's gonna burn out at some point and all Bishop has ta do is wait for that ta happen," Raph said.

"I've been thinking about that," Don said, looking around furtively. Stepping closer to Raph, he lowered his voice to a near whisper. "We have one big advantage; we know our mutated bodies and Bishop doesn't. We have to make him believe that Leo's consciousness is the only one that can keep that body alive. If Bishop thinks that a dead Leo equates to a useless body, he'll want out before Leo reaches that point."

"How are we gonna manage that, genius?" Raph asked. "Bishop sure as hell ain't gonna buy that story if we walk up and try ta sell it ta him."

"We're going to have to be a lot more subtle than that," Don said. "I have an idea that I think might work, but Leo has to play along. I'm counting on that tactical mind of his to understand what I'm asking him to do and to not give away the fact that it's a trick. I'm gambling that Bishop isn't the type to have ever meditated. That man has the upper hand right now; he's used to being in a host body and is stronger than Leo because of that. Leo's advantage is in his spiritualism and we need to make use of that strength."

"All of that don't mean a damn thing if ya' ain't figured out how ta build Bishop's new body. Ya' said ya' figured out the problem that kept making the old ones burn out and that ya' needed ta find a tissue sample from his original body," Raph said, pointing towards the clean room. "Were ya' in there looking or did ya' find it already?"

"I found it," Don said. "I've started the process of copying that material and replicating the DNA. I should have the body built fairly soon, but of course I'm having to rely on Bishop's people to assist me and I have no idea how capable any of them are. Personally, I would trade all of Bishop's scientists for Leatherhead; he would know exactly what to do and I'd have someone working with me that I know I can trust."

"He hates Bishop even more than we do," Raph pointed out.

Don laughed shortly. "I wouldn't ask Leatherhead to put himself in such a dangerous situation as this, though I believe he'd do it in a heartbeat if he knew Leo's life was a stake. Plus, I couldn't guarantee that Leatherhead could control his anger around Bishop. I've come close a couple of times to trying to reach Leatherhead on his computer so I could ask his advice, but I'm afraid he'd think we're in danger and decide to come break us out of here."

Raph glanced towards the transference room and said, "I've been away from Leo long enough. Ya' gonna work this magic trick of yours now?"

"I have to; Leo is tearing himself apart trying to hold Bishop at bay. The harder they fight for control, the higher Leo's fever will go. Internal organs will start to suffer damage that will be irreparable."

"Ya' wanna clue me in on this plan of yours?" Raph asked.

The outer door opened to admit a nurse who was pushing a cart full of medical supplies. Don caught her attention and pointed towards the door to the transference room.

"I don't have time," Don said, turning to follow the nurse. "Just follow my lead."

Bringing up the rear of the procession, Raph grumbled under his breath, "I'm glad ya' think I'm at least as sharp as Leo and can catch on ta whatever this cockamamie plan is."

Leo's eyes had opened again at the sound of the nurse' approach but quickly swept past her to Donatello. The smile he offered his brother made Don's heart flutter; there was something about Leo's bravery that always got to the genius.

"What's the prognosis doctor?" Leo asked, striving to make his voice sound hardy.

"The patient continues to show a stubborn disregard for his physician's advice," Don quipped, sitting next to Leo and taking his hand. He made a show of checking Leo's pulse, but he was glad for the excuse to hold onto Leo. "How do you feel?"

"The same as the last time you asked," Leo said.

"Are you as curious about how I am doing?" Bishop asked, coming forward for the first time in a couple of hours.

"No," Don said shortly. "If you want to cease to exist at any point, feel free to do so."

"Brilliant _and_ witty," Bishop said with a touch of humor. "No wonder your brothers are loathe to lose you. I'm not going to 'cease to exist' just to satisfy your whims, but I'll be happy to vacate these premises if you have an alternative available."

"It's being constructed now," Don told him. "I found the original bonding molecule and began the duplication process. Once we have enough of the corrected DNA strands we can generate viable living tissue. You do understand that this new body won't last forever; all I can do is build a better body than you've ever had, one that should last a very long time. Until you find or create completely regenerative macromolecules and markers you'll have to deal with the degradation of tissue."

"You are talking about years of research," Bishop said.

"Quite probably," Don replied. "I feel comfortable enough with what I'm creating to say that your scientists will no doubt make the necessary discoveries before you need another new body."

"Too damn bad," Raph muttered under his breath, not quite able to restrain himself.

Don glanced at him quickly and then turned back to Leo, confident that Raph had nothing further to contribute.

"In the meantime," Don continued, "the waiting game is something your body isn't dealing with very well, Leo. I'm going to begin giving you an intravenous sodium lactate solution; it's one that has worked well with Dengue fever. I can only administer three boluses at most, but unless we hit a snag, Bishop's new body will be ready before it runs out."

Leo laughed weakly. "Try not to hit a snag."

Don squeezed his hand and took a deep breath. It was time to start laying the groundwork for the trick they needed to play on Bishop and Don was going to have to choose his words carefully.

"That isn't my biggest concern at the moment," Don began, speaking slowly. "Your consistent fever is going to present us with a much larger problem fairly soon and as much as I know you'd rather I not bring this up, it has to be addressed."

Leo was watching Don's face closely as he spoke, wondering what his brother was leading up to. There was nothing in Don's expression to telegraph the fact that Don was trying to relay a secret message, but his delivery told Leo that was the case.

If that wasn't enough, one look at Raph's body language verified that both of his brothers had cooked up some kind of scheme. Raph was standing the way he did when Leo was outlining a plan that his red banded brother hadn't completely bought into. Bishop would see everything that Leo saw and Raph knew that, so his choosing to stand that way was meant to speak volumes to Leo alone.

Careful to say nothing that would raise a red flag to Bishop, Leo said, "Maybe your concern is premature."

It was a totally noncommittal comment but one that caused Don much well hidden elation. Leo understood what his brothers were trying to do and was receptive to hearing them out.

"You aren't just weak are you, Leo? I can see how lethargic you're becoming and the worse your fever gets, the more vitamins are lost from your system. I can already see the beginnings of the Hypovitaminosis. If it isn't controlled soon you're going to suffer systematic paralysis of your limbs," Don said.

"What are you talking about?" Bishop demanded. "Hypovitaminosis is a simple vitamin deficiency problem and isn't the result of running a fever."

"You've done quite a bit of research on turtles, haven't you, Bishop?" Don asked rhetorically. "Turtles also don't run a fever or don't you remember that? But obviously Leo does have an elevated body temperature. Since you seem to have all the answers, maybe you can explain the anomaly."

Leo refrained from saying anything as he waited for Bishop. While he was doing so, Leo relaxed further into the water, letting a comforting numbness settle over his arms and legs. It made staying awake that much more difficult, but letting his body drift added to the illusion that Leo realized Don was trying to create.

"It has something to do with your mutation, doesn't it?" Bishop finally asked.

Raph snorted derisively. "Give that man a prize for stating the obvious."

"Our turtle genetics have no encoded response to fever the way that human DNA does," Don explained. "When we become ill our systems react by burning off stored vitamins in an effort to restore balance."

"And the sudden loss of vitamins create the deficiency that brings on the Hypovitaminosis," Bishop finished for him.

"Leo," Don called, gently shaking his brother's arm. "Remember how sick Mikey was when we were in the Triceraton space cruiser? How when the Triceraton's found us, Mikey was almost completely paralyzed?"

"His breathing . . . ." Leo pretended to find the effort to speak difficult.

"Exactly," Don said, excited now and trying not to show it. He could tell that Leo understood what needed to be done. "The Triceraton physicians cured the illness but we almost didn't reach his ki in time to avoid permanent paralysis."

"If I remove my ki now, will that buy you enough time to complete Bishop's new body and move his consciousness?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Don answered, staring into Leo's eyes.

Don's look was beseeching and distressed all at once. Leo longed to pull Don into his arms and beg him not to worry; to assure the genius that Leo was in control and would make things right just as he always tried to do.

That wasn't the case this time though. Leo had to allow Don to lead them and trust that his brother's assessment was correct. The only reason that Don could be asking Leo to practice his chi gung was because Don somehow believed that Bishop wanted to keep Leo's body.

Mikey had never been ill when they had been captured in the cargo hold of that Triceraton space cruiser. They had been stowaways and when the cruiser sustained damage that removed the atmosphere from the cargo hold, the Turtles had to resort to their internal breathing technique in order to stay alive.

Chi gung would allow Leo to practically stop breathing and move into a different plane of existence, thus rendering his body motionless. Don was gambling that Bishop was not a practitioner and would confuse the life energy change as further effects of the Hypovitaminosis.

During internal breathing the ki became balanced but did not actually go anywhere. Leo wasn't sure why Don wanted Bishop to believe that it did and tried to think of a question that would allow Don to explain.

Bishop beat Leo to it. "Tell me what occurs when you remove your ki."

"Leo's body shuts down, that's what," Raph answered, jumping in to help support the fabrication. "All of his bodily functions come to an almost complete stop."

"Slowing his body and metabolism prevents his organs from sustaining permanent damage," Don said. "The downside to that is Leo's ki is the only thing that can restart his body. If he remains suspended for too long, his ki can become lost. Once he removes his ki, I've got to get your body prepared so that we can move your consciousness as quickly as possible. Then either Raph or I will have to call Leo back."

"What happens to his body if his ki is lost?" Bishop asked.

Don passed a shaky hand across his face. The situation was tense enough that he didn't have to fake that reaction.

"Leo's mind is the only one that can reanimate it," Don said. "Once his ki is completely gone, total organ failure occurs."

"In case you're wondering, ya' selfish bastard, that means if you're still inside Leo when that happens ya' can kiss your sorry ass goodbye too," Raph said.

For the first time since capturing Leonardo, Bishop began to feel that he was losing control of his perfect scheme. Being sidelined by Donatello's insistence that he remain in the lab was difficult enough, but now they were telling him that soon he wouldn't even be able to move.

"This situation is completely unacceptable," Bishop announced, his voice sounding hoarse as it came from Leo's mouth.

"Yeah, it's the shits ain't it?" Raphael agreed.

From the expression on the red banded Turtle's face, Bishop could tell that the mutant was fairly pleased about the agent's new found predicament.

Bishop had the distinct urge to wipe the satisfied look off of Raphael's face, but unfortunately controlling Leonardo's limbs had suddenly become more difficult.

Raphael's face came unexpectedly into view as the muscular ninja leaned over the tub and scooped his brother out of the water.

"What's the matter, Bishop? Cat got your tongue?" Raphael asked, his smirk more prominent.

Agent John Bishop was really beginning to hate the color red.

TBC….


	9. Part 8

Deterioration  
part 8

The Turtle brothers had in essence closed ranks.

As soon as Leo understood the plan that Don had conceived, he had begun to adjust his internal breathing, focusing entirely on his ki. Because Leo was most comfortable seated in a lotus position, Raph had carried their older brother from his bath to one of the transference tables and helped to properly place his body.

Don would have preferred to have Leo lie down, but his brother had spent a lifetime practicing Chi gung while sitting up and now was not the time to change things. While Leo redirected his own life energy, Don inserted a needle into one of his veins and began the IV drip.

It was while Don was ministering to Leo that Raph decided it was time to implement a few of the security measures that he and his genius brother had secretly put into place.

Entering a series of codes into the computer console that Don had appropriated, Raph locked down the two rooms that comprised their center of operations. When the large bolts snapped into place on the outer doors and the emergency exit, red lights mounted in small domes over each began to flash.

The scientists who were now trapped inside were startled from their tasks, looking up in shocked surprise. Several ran for the doors and tried to pry them open, with absolutely no luck. Voices grew loud as the men and women who were locked inside all began talking at once.

Raph stepped into the entrance between the rooms, cleared his throat, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Shut up!"

His deep voice resonated throughout every corner and its effect was immediate. Total silence fell and over a dozen pairs of eyes turned in his direction.

"Nobody enters or leaves here until Bishop is walking around on his own two feet again," Raph announced in a voice that brooked no argument. "According ta my brother, that shouldn't be too much longer. If ya' want out of here sooner than later, you'll keep doing your jobs. There's plenty ta eat and drink, and there's a couple of working toilets. Ya' think ya' need more than that then I suggest ya' take off the skirt and toughen up."

He saw one of the men glance towards a phone and Raph told him, "Go ahead and try it. The phones are dead. The internet and intranet are out. The firewall is up and your cell phones ain't gonna work. I don't really know what the hell all of that means other than you're now isolated, so get the fuck used to it. Ya' got any questions or arguments, keep 'em ta yourselves. I ain't in the mood."

Raph started to turn away when a thought stopped him. Faster than the eye could follow, both of his hands flashed down to his sides and his twin sais practically leaped into them.

Twirling his weapons expertly for the captive audience, Raph added, "Just in case anybody gets the idea ta try and overpower me and my brother, I've been told that it hurts like a motherfucker ta be gutted by one of these. Then ya' die. Since I've been fighting experts all of my life and I'm guessing none of the rest of ya' has, I'm pretty sure ya' don't need your college education ta figure out ya' should keep your hands ta yourselves."

His sharp eyes swept the room and found that none of the scientists was capable of meeting them. Gritting his teeth, Raph stomped back into the transference room, stopping halfway in to look around at Dr. Garcia and the two technicians who were in there.

The technicians turned their faces from him, looking down at their hands, but Dr. Garcia was staring back at him, his dark eyes glittering.

Raph snorted once and said, "Bishop ain't gonna be able ta talk for a while, but ya' know what you're supposed ta be doing. If I even think ya' ain't doing the job he gave ya', or that you're trying some kinda shit behind my back, you're the first one I'm going for when hell breaks loose."

"Agent Bishop was very clear that I was to follow your brother's directives," Dr. Garcia said, with just the tiniest quiver in his voice.

"Then get after it," Raph told him. "I'm sick of this place."

Dr. Garcia nodded curtly and marched past Raph. As he left the room, Raph turned part way to watch him, and then spun back around to contemplate the thick plastic gray curtain that surrounded Leo's table.

Raph wasn't sure if Don realized that the emergency procedure was now in place, though the red banded Turtle had been pretty loud about it. His genius brother sometimes had the ability to focus to such an extent that it could put Leo to shame. Caring for one of them when they were ill or wounded tended to bring out that kind of concentration in Donny, and Leo's current condition certainly warranted his concern.

It was tempting to slide past that curtain so that he could check if Leo was all right and to let Donny know what was going on, but Raph refrained from doing so. He couldn't keep his eyes on Bishop's people if he went inside that curtained partition and keeping them under close watch was his responsibility.

Don would take care of Leo and then he would finish building Bishop's new body. They would transfer Bishop's consciousness to it and Leo would be well again. Raph intended to hold onto those positive thoughts while he performed his security guard duties.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to daydream about giving Bishop a new body that was covered in bruises.

Donatello stood next to Leo and stared into his brother's face. Leo's eyes were closed, his hands resting lightly on his knees and his expression tranquil. With Leo seated atop a table, the two brothers were at eye level.

It was difficult to tell for sure, but their trick appeared to be working. Leo was deep inside Chi gung; his breathing and pulse rate both slowed to their lowest levels. His internal control kept his heart beating just enough to pump blood, but no other muscles worked, having been effectively shut down.

Leo's temperature had actually fallen some and although Don knew that was partly due to the intravenous drip, he was also sure that his brother's trance like state had done the most good.

Without the need to fight Bishop for control of his body, Leo could concentrate all of his energies on maintaining the wall that kept his mind safe from the government agent. They had basically taken Bishop's life force and shoved it into a bottle. The mental image of Bishop battering himself against impenetrable glass walls made Don smile.

Don had heard Raph's gruff voice barking orders just a few moments earlier and he knew it was time to go out and learn what was happening. Bishop's new body was nearing completion and some of the scientists who were working with Don had very slipshod methods, no doubt learned from Baxter Stockman.

His supervision was required for the final stages of construction and even though Don had no affection for Bishop, the genius had promised to deliver the best possible body to him. Don's word had been given and none of the Hamato family offered their word lightly.

It was difficult to leave Leo's side though. Don had gotten used to having Leo assure him that he was still whole and without those words the Turtle genius allowed nagging doubts to divide his attention. There was more than one way to communicate with Leo and since verbally was out of the question, Don chose the other method.

Knowing that Raph would let no one inside, Don took a deep cleansing breath and stepped forward until his legs touched the table. Gently resting a hand on top of one of Leo's, Don leaned over, closing his eyes as he touched his forehead to Leo's temple.

Meditation had always been Leo's thing, but Donatello was actually vastly superior to any of his brothers when it came to focusing his mental energies. He had once reached across space to contact Master Splinter's mind and he now concentrated in order to reach his brother's.

As Don's consciousness located Leo's life energy strand and began to follow it, he moved past the strong glow given off by Bishop's mind. Donatello could feel the man's frustration and anger; so strong that it seeped into the walls of what was now Bishop's prison.

Don ignored the man as he continued in pursuit of his brother. Leo had followed Don's plan almost too perfectly; robbing his body of the ability to move or to feel, Leo now held onto his corporeal form by a thread.

Something about that bothered Donatello; something he sensed about Leo. His brother would not open up to him and Don feared that this was because Bishop would then be privy to the information as well. Whatever it was seemed to be driving Leo's consciousness too far from his body and if he wasn't careful he would lose the connection completely.

Just ahead of him Don could see the dull gleam of Leo's life energy. His ki danced around it in a perfectly formed circle, but the circle was attempting to close in on itself.

_"Leo,"_ Don called, his inner voice seeming to bounce back at him. Gathering his strength, Don tried again. _"Leonardo!"_

As the new cry resonated inside the gray space of Leo's mind, his life energy stopped pulling away. The glittering circle of light remained fixed and waiting.

_"Don?"_ Leo answered tentatively.

_"I couldn't leave you in here alone without giving you something to use as an anchor,"_ Don said, trying to sound lighthearted. _"You didn't need to go quite so far."_

_"Yes, I did,"_ Leo said, his voice a mixture of hopelessness and regret. _"There is so much you don't understand and I can't explain. Do what you can and then do what you must."_

"_If I haven't given up then you aren't allowed to either,"_ Don said gruffly.

_"Don't let Bishop's people capture you or Raph,"_ Leo said as though he hadn't heard Don. _"If something happens to me, don't leave my body for them to experiment with."_

_"Stop that,"_ Don ordered. _"Do you think I've worked this hard to hear you trying to quit? I need for you to be closer to your body so that you can restart it faster when the time comes. Please come back this direction, towards me."_

_"Donny, I can't do that,"_ Leo told him.

_"Of course you can. I know you're tired, that's why I came inside to find you. Connect your energy to mine and I'll pull you forward,"_ Don said.

_"I . . . I can't. There are things you don't know, things that I can't share with you,"_ Leo said. _"As long as I remain here, I can't hurt our family."_

Don's mental essence hovered silently as he contemplated Leo's words. What his brother was doing was exactly the sort of action the leader would take if he thought he would bring dishonor to himself in some way. There had recently been a change in Leo and Don felt certain it accounted for the worry that Don was sensing.

His brother was exceptional at hiding his feelings behind an impenetrable mask, but Don was sometimes quite intuitive. There was something he had wondered about for a while now and if there was any chance at saving Leo, Don needed to shock the truth out of him.

_"I already know what it is you're trying to keep from me," _Don said softly. _"I know the secret you're afraid to share with me. You may be good at hiding things from everyone else, but it's useless to try it with me. I know, Leo. I think I've always known."_

Leo's ki flashed brighter for a brief second when Don said those words and Don took advantage of Leo's momentary lapse. Surging forward, Don wrapped himself around Leo's life energy, pulling it away from the edge of abandonment.

Once they were out of the danger zone, their energies slowly separated. Having his consciousness intertwined so intimately with Leo's had been a breathtaking experience and extremely personal. Don thought he should have felt some embarrassment but found that his strongest emotion was exhilaration.

Leo must have felt the same because he did not attempt to continue his previous course of action. Their energies remained close together and Leo seemed suddenly stronger.

_"I didn't mean for this to happen,"_ Leo said, both hopefully and uncertainly.

_"You can't control everything, Leo,"_ Don told him, _"and I won't let you feel guilty because of that. In all honesty, I'm partly to blame. I've been trying to hide the same thing from you."_

_"Donny?"_ Leo's energy moved towards his brother's, wanting nothing more than to merge again.

Don pulled back and said, _"Bad timing bro'. I'm afraid if we do that again I won't want to leave for a while, and Raph's out there alone. We'll really need talk to each other after I get that man out of your body, okay? Promise me you'll stay strong."_

_"I'll promise you anything you want, Donatello,"_ Leo said, _"as long as you tell me this is real."_

_"I think you know the truth,"_ Don said, moving away. _"How could I hide anything from you after that?"_

He could feel the warm ripple of Leo's affectionate laughter following him as Don left his brother's consciousness. Don came out of his trance with a start; gasping for breath, heart beating fast. Turning his head to the side, Don pressed his cheek against Leo's and squeezed his brother's hand before stepping back.

With a last long look at Leo's frozen form, Don left the curtained area. He felt like he was walking on air as it struck him fully that Leo had feelings for him; the same strong feelings that Don had been harboring.

The first thing he saw as he walked around the curtain was Raph standing nearby, his hands on his sais and his feet widely planted. It was one of his fighting stances; a dare to anyone who wanted to cross paths with him. The sight brought Don back to earth with a thud.

"Did something happen?" Don asked worriedly.

Raph glanced over his shoulder at Don, his eyes narrowing slightly before he turned back to watching scientists bustle in and out of the room.

"'Bout time ya' got your ass out here," Raph said with a low growl. "Is Leo all right?"

Don took a deep breath and went to stand next to his hot headed brother. "I think he was trying to martyr himself. He almost went too deep. I took a few extra minutes to go in after him and remind him how pissed off you would be if he left us like that."

This time Raph looked him fully in the face. "Yeah I would be and that ain't no joking matter. Why the fuck would he do that now? We've almost got this licked."

Don shrugged. He certainly couldn't address the reasons with Raph right now; that was something for Don and Leo to work out before they told their family.

"I think he's worried that he'll hinder our escape once we remove Bishop. Leo knows how weak he'll be and if Bishop double crosses us, Leo won't be in any shape to fight," Don said. Part of that was true; Leo would rather they sacrifice him than have him slow them down.

"Remind me ta tell him how much I hate it when he pulls that 'holier-than-thou shit," Raph said with a grimace. "After all these years ya' would think the asshole would know better."

Don grinned. "You want to motivate him when he comes out of his meditation just throw a few more of those choice words around. You know how much he loves them."

Raph couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe I'll just curse all the way home. In answer ta your question, I locked the place down."

"It was time," Don said, nodding his agreement. "I'd best check on Bishop's body; it should be fully generated by now. If it's ready, I'll have it brought in and placed on the table next to Leo. The only thing that will be left to do is make the transference."

"And get the fuck out of here," Raph added.

"And get the fu . . . heck out of here," Don agreed, not quite able to duplicate Raph's colorful language.

Raph was laughing at him as Don moved towards the genetics lab. "Hey, Donny," Raph called.

Don turned. "Yeah?"

"Make sure ya' put some clothes on Bishop's new clone; his face makes me sick enough," Raph said.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Don told him as he left the room.

TBC….


	10. Part 9

Deterioration  
part 9

Donatello nervously examined Bishop's new cloned body for about the fifth time in as many minutes. He had obliged Raph by having one of the lab technician's clothe the body in black trousers, but the upper half was still bare due to the number of monitoring leads attached to it. Also at Raph's behest, the body was secured to the table by thick leather straps that restrained the arms and legs, with an additional strap across the torso.

Every test Don had run showed that the body itself was functioning within acceptable parameters. There was no sign of the degeneration of tissue that had been so prevalent in the previous host body and the tiny electric cell inside the cloned heart maintained blood flow to the various organs. Once Bishop's brain was transferred into the new host it would take over the function of powering the heart, well before the electric cell stopped working and disintegrated.

With the body placed on the table and its ready status verified, all that was left to do was for Dr. Garcia to complete the systems test on the transference machine. The power levels seemed to be holding steady, but for some reason Don felt anxious.

Raph looked over at his brother and his lips pressed into a stiff line. Don was jumpy and tired; the stress of worry over Leo and working so hard to build a new body for Bishop had taken their toll.

The genius was somewhat used to a schedule that allowed little time for sleep, but his brothers usually stepped in to make sure he got some rest. This situation had been too severe for either of them to waste precious minutes in sleep and Raph worried about their ability to respond to an emergency if a fully restored Bishop decided to double cross them.

Raph and Don had thought along those lines early on, which was one of the reasons for locking down the pair of laboratories. Raph had gone a step further; once Bishop's body had been delivered and laid out on the table, Raph had limited the transference room to essential personnel only and then secured the door between the two rooms.

There was no doubt in Raph's mind that with his eyes off the majority of the scientists in the genetics lab they were probably trying to find a way to escape; shell, that's what Raph would be doing. He couldn't worry about them right now because he had a more important priority.

Between them, he and Don had gotten Leo out of his seated position and down flat on the table. They had taken care to jostle his body as little as possible because they didn't want Leo to prematurely come out of the deep meditation he'd placed himself into.

When Raph had stepped back he'd watched Donatello linger, one hand tightly gripping Leo's. Don's expression had gone a long way towards confirming something that Raph had suspected; that Don had deeper feelings for Leo than he'd ever let on.

Raph inhaled deeply, releasing the breath before walking over to the table that held Bishop's body. Don looked up at him, his demeanor expressing complete exhaustion.

"Just a little longer, right Donny?" Raph asked in what he hoped sounded like an optimistic tone. "We'll get Leo back good as new and haul our happy asses out of here."

"I sure hope you're right," Don said, trying for an answering smile that flickered off before fully lifting his mouth. "When we get back to the lair, I'm going to sleep for two weeks straight."

Raph appreciated that Don was trying hard to strike a positive attitude, but he knew the genius well enough to tell that something was bothering him.

"Ya' worried in general, or is there something specific that's got your shell in a bunch?" Raph asked him.

"Can I say both without sounding too paranoid?" Don replied. "I wish I could tell you that I trust Dr. Garcia at this juncture because having Bishop back to normal is in his best interest, but I can't help feeling that the doctor has a hidden agenda."

"Don't they all?" Raph asked. "Bishop don't trust his people either, otherwise he wouldn't have created so many damn security devices and code words. Maybe ya' think Garcia plans ta double cross his boss? Why would he?"

Don shrugged and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know; I don't have a good handle on how the chain of command works around here."

"Garcia ain't military," Raph said, "he's a scientist and he don't have the diplomacy skills or the balls ta do what Bishop does. What he does have is a vested interest in having one of our mutated bodies ta experiment on."

Lifting his hand from his eyes, Don let Raph see the startled look on his face. "Do you think he might alter the transference device to place Bishop into the cloned body and simultaneously send Leo's consciousness into a void?"

"I ain't a scientist either, Donny," Raph answered. "Maybe he can do that; maybe he can't. All I'm saying is that Garcia ain't shone too brightly for his boss lately and the best way he can remedy that is ta give Bishop something the man's always wanted, one of us. Don't tell me that thought hasn't crossed your mind."

Don took a deep breath and stole a glance at Dr. Garcia. The man appeared to be running through a systems checklist with one of his assistants, but for all Don knew he could be stalling long enough to change some of the machine settings.

"I guess I'm more tired than I thought. I figured that Bishop would keep his word up to a certain point and then if he could find a loophole he'd spring a trap on us. I suppose one of his men acting solely without orders would be as good a loophole as any," Don said.

"So what do we do ta check up on Garcia?" Raph asked. "Ya' want ta look over the machine's settings when Garcia gets done with them?"

Don's expression was pained. "Raph, I didn't have time to study how the transference machine operates, all I've had a chance to do was glance at the schematics. I was too focused on trying to get Bishop's new body built before Leo's burned out. I certainly haven't the time now; Leo is too close to slipping away from us and I'd need at least a couple of hours to understand exactly how the machine functions."

Raph stared at his brother for a couple of minutes, thinking hard. "Okay then. If we can't do this the smart way, then I guess it's time ta fall back on my tried and true method of making sure nothing goes wrong."

"Raph?" Don asked, stepping back from Bishop's body as his hot headed brother started walking towards Dr. Garcia.

Rather than answer him, Raph tossed a wide grin over his shoulder and kept going. When his broad shadow fell across the screen of Dr. Garcia's PDA, the man looked up in surprise.

Raph was still wearing his grin; however it was now much more wolfish than the one Don had seen.

"I . . . I'm almost done," Dr. Garcia stuttered, intimidated by Raph's proximity and size.

"Yeah, me and my brother kinda figured that," Raph said, his voice a dark rumble. "That's why I'm here. See, we don't want any unexpected mishaps ta occur and though my brother Donny thinks you're a professional who won't let anything bad happen, I'm the more suspicious type."

"I can assure you, everything will be fine," Dr. Garcia said in a rush.

"Actually, it's gonna be better than fine," Raph told him. "It's gonna be perfect. Do ya' wanna know why?"

Dr. Garcia seemed to be debating with himself as to whether he wanted to know the answer to that question, but curiosity got the better of him. "Why?"

Raph very slowly pulled a sai from his belt and tapped the metal tip against the machine in Dr. Garcia's hand. "'Cause if my brother Leonardo dies on that table, I'm personally gonna send your spirit someplace else too. Oh, and I won't care if ya' screwed up, someone else screwed up, or the machine screwed up. Ya' die first; then my brother Don and I are gonna kill everyone else we can reach just before we turn this building into a pile of rubble. Am I clear enough?"

"Per . . . perfectly," Dr. Garcia stammered, his eyes wide.

"If ya' got any last minute adjustments ya' need ta make so we don't have any accidents, ya' better do it now. I hope ya' can work with me leaning over your shoulder, 'cause ya' and me don't separate until Leonardo is standing on his own two feet."

Dr. Garcia hastily looked down at the small device in his hand and then at the monitor where one of his assistants sat. The assistant's face was pinched, giving the impression that he was about to burst into tears.

Narrowing his eyes, Raph turned the tip of his sai towards the man, nearly touching it to the lab assistant's nose.

"If something bad happens ta my brother," Raph said, the growl in his voice evident, "you're number two on my hit parade."

The man's mouth opened and then closed; rendered completely incapable of speech by Raph's promise, Dr. Garcia's assistant shot a look of desperation in his bosses direction.

"Let's review those final adjustments one more time, Jerry," Dr. Garcia said.

Jerry nodded and hastily turned back to his keyboard. With shaking hands he began entering a string of numbers while Dr. Garcia stood behind him, directing his work.

Satisfied that his assessment of Dr. Garcia's plan had been correct and that he'd just thwarted it, Raph turned to shoot a satisfied smile in Don's direction. The smile faded when he saw that Don was standing next to Leo again.

Donatello was holding Leo's hand and leaning over to whisper something to his older brother. Raph sighed and turned back to watch Dr. Garcia.

Raph wasn't as astute as Mikey at understanding what made people tick, but he had a pretty good idea that Don's feelings weren't traveling down a one-way street. Since it took a while for emotions to grow to this stage, Raph was sure both of his brothers had been harboring a deeper affection for one another for some time.

And since Raph hadn't noticed any difference in their attitudes towards each other before this episode, he had to figure that they'd been hiding how they felt. All of which seemed damned goofy to Raph; it wasn't as if the sky was going to open up and rain female turtles. If his brothers wanted to love one another, he figured they should go at it. Just not right in front of him, Raph told himself with a chuckle. Some ground rules were going to have to be set down once they got away from Bishop.

The getting away part was still something that had to be worked out. Raph had reminded Don on several occasions that the genius needed to spare a little time for actively thinking about that. Somehow Raph didn't think Bishop would open the doors and let them walk out to freedom, no matter what he'd promised.

April knew exactly where they were, which was a big plus. One thing about that fiery redhead; she never let anything stand in her way when they were in trouble. Raph thought that with the doors secured and Bishop as their prisoner, he and his brothers could make a stand that would last long enough for the cavalry to arrive.

"I believe we are ready, erm, ugh . . . sir," Dr. Garcia said, looking up at Raph.

Raph grinned at the doctor's discomfort and the 'sir'. He'd never had anyone address him in that manner and it was damn funny. Dr. Garcia apparently didn't find Raph's smile to be in the least appealing, the man visibly blanched and took a step back.

"Donny!" Raph called, pulling his brother's head up with his voice. "Ya' about ready ta get this dance started?"

Don looked from Leo to Bishop and then back again. "Yes. Let's do this."

Taking a second to squeeze his brother's hand, Don finally released Leo and moved over to join Raph and the scientists. He watched Dr. Garcia manipulate the controls to bring the metal ball down between the two tables and saw that once the device was in place the cerebral cortex in both of the body's brains was visible on the monitor.

It was clear on the viewer that two separate conscious minds were inside Leo; the one represented by Bishop flashed brightly on the screen while Leo's was a dim twinkle of light.

"The machine can isolate Bishop's mind and remove it?" Don asked.

"Yes," Dr. Garcia responded. "The mind's energy signature is unique to each individual. I've input Agent Bishop's patterns into the transference device; it will selectively extract his consciousness and implant it into the new body."

"Without effecting Leo's?" Raph asked.

"It shouldn't have an effect on your brother's brain," Dr. Garcia said.

"That doesn't sound like a solid assurance ta me," Raph said grimly.

"I've n . . . never attempted a t . . . transfer of this nature," Dr. Garcia said.

"Ya' put him in there with my brother, ya' damn well better be able ta get him out without hurting my brother," Raph said. "I hope ya' remember what I said; I don't accept excuses."

"Please let's just continue," Don said, his voice low and pained. "Leo's consciousness is too dim, we've no more time."

Raph grit his teeth and nodded at Dr. Garcia, urging him to carry on. The doctor took a deep breath and typed in a series of commands. Once he'd done so, the two tubes attached to the transference device began to glow.

"Here we go," Dr. Garcia said, somewhat unnecessarily.

Don didn't take his eyes off Leo, but Raph's were glued to Dr. Garcia. Clenching his fist and then opening his hand slowly, the doctor pressed a button marked 'Execute'.

Bright flashes of light shot out of both tubes, buzzing like electricity, they completely encompassed Leo's head and that of Bishop's cloned body. Leo's body jerked on the table and then stiffened, his torso lifting a foot off the padded surface.

For a second, nothing happened to Bishop's form, but then as the light began to fade, the body started to twitch. Dr. Garcia hastily shut down the transference machine. On the monitor Raph could see that the bright glow of Bishop's consciousness was now in his new body.

As Raph's eyes shifted to the view of Leo's brain, Don suddenly stepped in front of him.

"Donny!" Raph exclaimed in protest but his brother's gasp cut off further words. Shifting his position so he could see past Don's shoulder, Raph realized why his brother sounded upset.

The picture of Leo's brain showed that Bishop's consciousness was indeed gone, but Leo's light was no longer visible either.

TBC….


	11. Part 10 Final

Deterioration  
part 10 final

"No!" Don screamed, racing across the room. Sliding to a stop next to Leo, he moaned, "No, no, no. Come on Leo, don't you do this to me."

Raph could feel the rage filling his heart. Grasping Dr. Garcia by his shirt collar, Raph threw him to the ground and then kicked the chair that Jerry was sitting in hard enough to tip the man out of it.

"You! Get over here!" Raph ordered to the other lab technician.

The man's hands were up, his face devoid of color and his body shaking. He walked towards Raph, but too slowly for the angry Turtle, who leaped forward to clutch a handful of the man's lab coat so he could throw the tech down next to the other two.

"Get down on your stomachs and put your hands behind your heads," Raph growled at the three men lined up on the floor in front of him. "Don't ya' fucking move."

"P . . . please don't k . . . kill us," Jerry stammered. "We did everything we c . . . could."

Raph didn't bother to answer him, kicking the men's legs apart so that it would be harder for them to get up. Towering over them with both sais out, Raph looked over at Don, waiting for his brother to call it. If Leo was gone, Raph was going to kill these men just as he'd promised, whether Don liked it or not. Then he was going to take Leo's katanas and cut Bishop into tiny little pieces.

With his gut tied up in a knot of cold fury, Raph stared at Don and at Leo's unmoving form.

Don only vaguely registered Raph's anger; his focus completely devoted to Leonardo. His brother appeared to have no pulse when Don felt for it and the breath of life wasn't flowing through Leo's open mouth.

Wasting no time, Don tilted Leo's head back and covered his brother's mouth with his own. As he frantically blew in air to fill Leo's lungs, Don forced himself to concentrate past the initial panic until his consciousness was focused enough to enter Leo's mind.

Plunging inward, Don felt nothing but coldness surrounding him; the heat of Leo's essence was entirely missing. Refusing to give up, Don continued his probe, desperately searching for even the faintest flicker of Leo's life energy stream.

Tears pricked the corners of Raphael's eyes; frustration, bitterness, anger, and the need for retribution building behind the floodgates of his will power. Raph could see Bishop stirring on his table; his arms lifting as much as the straps allowed, and the Turtle was glad he'd had the foresight to tie the man down.

Donatello was performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on Leonardo, but Raph, whose link to his brothers was very strong, felt that Don was doing something more. After a few minutes it was obvious to the hot head that Don had placed himself into a deeply meditative state, and the only reason he'd do that was to try to enter Leo's mind in order to find him.

Without moving from his position over his captives, Raph turned his head to stare at the transference monitor. In it he could see a pinpoint of light that reminded Raph of a firefly. The light was moving rapidly inside Leo's brain, flitting from one point to another as though searching for something.

"Do it Donny, find him bro'," Raph muttered under his breath, his eyes glued to the monitor.

Cold was all Don registered; it was so incredibly cold inside Leo's mind. Bishop's consciousness was gone and Leo's hadn't rushed back in to reanimate his brain. The small electric pulses that should have been buzzing all around Don weren't there and his fear made him dive deeper.

Reaching the location where he'd left Leo, Don could see and feel nothing of his brother. He had told Leo to hold on; to stay fixed in one spot, but something about the transference must have shoved Leo hard enough to knock his consciousness loose. There was only one place it could go and that was deeper, back towards the void that Don had pulled Leo away from once before.

Knowing that he was taking a risk, Don plunged in further. There was a point in the mind where one could go that transcended the physical being. It was a place where it was possible to send the mind on its own journey without the limitations of a corporeal hull. When one chose to travel this path, by necessity the soul had to sever all ties with the body it had been placed into at birth.

It was a place Master Splinter had told them of; an emergency exit of sorts which would save them the pain of prolonged death, mutilation, or torture. Once the mind snapped that final thin thread that held it bound to the earth, the spirit was free to roam wherever it wished, but it could not re-enter the husk that had once held it.

Donatello knew that Leo would not willingly have gone into that abyss, not after discovering that his love for Don was returned in kind. When the transference machine had been activated, its reach for a particular energy signature must have sent ripples out from that point in Leo's mind, much like a hand grabbing for a ball sitting at the bottom of a tub of water.

The resultant tidal wave of power could have been strong enough to send Leo's conscious mind spiraling towards the exit he was already much too close to. With that theory in his head, Don focused all of his energy on reaching that exit as fast as he could.

Ahead of him a vast sea of darkness rose up; a space devoid of light and sound, it was both chilling and comforting at the same time. Don looked deep into that chasm, knowing that the next light he might see would be the exit and that he had to take great care in not falling through. If he did, both he and Leo would be lost, and Raph would be left alone inside Bishop's stronghold.

While his internal 'eyes' searched for some sight of Leo, Don's internal 'ears' listened. As he proceeded further, the darkness surrounded him completely, leaving Don in a blackness so absolute he was no longer sure in which direction he was traveling. The only sound that came to Don was that of his own blood rushing through his veins.

Then the faintest of noises reached Don's ears and he turned all of his attention towards it, letting the sound guide his free floating consciousness. Barely audible, it sounded almost like a heartbeat, but Don knew it couldn't be the one in Leo's body because it had stopped.

Hope planted its seed in Don's chest and he rushed towards the sound as quickly as he could. For a fragile moment, he thought that he'd lost it, but then the faintest shard of light pricked the darkness.

_"Leo!"_ Don shouted, excitement and fear driving him onward.

_"Do~nny . . . ."_ The call was low-pitched, echoing in the dark tunnel.

There ahead of him Don could see the path of stars and knew that he had reached the exit point. He slowed his momentum but frantically swung about; knowing that the first touch of light he'd seen wasn't the same as the bright shine given off by the stars. Those were cold whereas the light that had drawn him gave off the same warm glow that Don felt when he was near Leo.

Once more he saw it, a shard whose heat burned with the determination that was Leo's hallmark. It hung just on the edge of the exit, half in and half out.

With a lunge, Don wrapped his mind around that touch of light, immediately feeling Leo's essence grasp onto him like a lifeline.

Pulling with all his might, Don slowly backed away from the exit point, taking with him the tiny sliver of Leo's life energy. As Don moved, more of Leo's life force appeared, fighting desperately not to abandon his body.

_"Come on Leo,"_ Don urged as he twisted and mingled his consciousness with his brother's. _"I've got you and I'm not letting go."_

The words brought an answering flash from Leo's ki and then Don saw Leo's center suddenly surge forward, breaking free of the vacuum that had been sucking it into space.

For the next few dizzying seconds the brothers spiraled through the dark, their minds inextricably linked and intertwined. Away from the edge of abandonment, away from the lure of the stars, away from death they flowed together, clinging to the most important thing in their lives; each other.

When they were once more in the gray area of Leo's brain the brothers separated, slowly and reluctantly.

_"I knew you'd figure out what happened and come for me,"_ Leo said softly_. "I held on just like you asked me to."_

_"Thank you,"_ Don said, his thoughts gentle and caressing. _"I knew you wouldn't leave me, not after you discovered how much I love you."_

_"I'm supposed to say that first,"_ Leo said with a laugh. _"I'm older and the leader."_

_"We'll argue the point later,"_ Don told him. _"Right now we need to get you reanimated and moving so we can go home."_

_"Good idea,"_ Leo said. _"I hope Raph hasn't already started tearing the place down around our heads."_

Don began to pull his consciousness out of Leo's mind. _"I think he's waiting for me. He's been a rock, Leo."_

_"I'll thank him properly once we're all safe,"_ Leo said, watching Don's energy slip away. _"I love you, Donatello,"_ Leo called after him.

When Don's consciousness snapped back into his own mind, he felt Leo stir beneath him, his brother's chest rising as he drew in air. Don's mouth was still locked with Leo's, but before he could move, Leo's tongue lifted and met Don's.

The kiss was warm and promising. Don wrapped his arms around Leo's shoulders and pulled his brother's upper torso off the table, never breaking the kiss.

Raph had watched as the light inside Leo's brain went from dark to bright again. He suddenly realized he'd stopped breathing and his first inhalation was a mixture of laughter and sobbing.

From the corner of his eye, Raph saw Dr. Garcia turn his head to see what was happening. The ninja was still angry that the man had even thought about killing his brother and needing an outlet for the steam that had built up, Raph kicked the doctor on his hip.

Dr. Garcia's sharp cry was vastly satisfying. "What part of don't move do ya' not understand?" Raph asked rhetorically.

Assured that none of his captives would move again, Raph looked over at his brothers and saw Leo sit up with Don's assistance. He also observed their lip lock and started shaking his head, one corner of his mouth quirked up into a grin. It figured that Fearless would take advantage of the situation and get Don to kiss him.

"Let me out of these restraints at once!" Bishop yelled, struggling against the leather straps that were holding him to the table.

Leaping across the room, Raph turned his head towards his brothers as he passed them and said, "Save it for later bro's, we're still in hot water."

Raph reached the table just as Bishop managed to snap a section of the strap holding one of his arms. Before Bishop could further loosen the strap, Raph was standing over him.

Pressing the tip of his sai against Bishop's neck, Raph pinned the man to the table. Bishop glared up at him and demanded in a low, dangerous tone, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Don't even twitch," Raph warned, his voice deep and threatening.

Next to them, Don was helping Leo to stand. Once his brother was on his feet, Don draped one of Leo's arms across his shoulders and reached around his carapace to help brace the still unsteady Turtle.

"We had an agreement," Bishop said as he glared up at Raph.

"Our agreement was that I build you a new body," Don said. "You weren't supposed to double cross us, but Dr. Garcia didn't seem to get that message."

"Seems like he was hatching a whole bunch of ideas all on his own," Raph said in a nasty tone. "Maybe ya' didn't tell him in a strong enough way that his job wasn't ta try and kill Leo, or maybe ya' purposely didn't issue any orders ta that effect. Tell me why I shouldn't turn ya' into sushi right this minute."

"You still have to make your way out of my stronghold," Bishop said, his eyes narrowed and watchful.

Raph snorted. "Yeah, we kinda figured ya' wasn't gonna let us stroll on out of here."

"My brother and I put in a few security measures of our own," Don said. "We locked down both of these laboratory facilities and cut your people off from communicating with anyone beyond these walls."

Bishop's lip twitched before curving upward. "Not a surprising move nor unexpected."

"Yeah, we figured that out too," Raph said. "So how long is your goon squad supposed ta wait after they stop hearing from ya' before they try breaking in here?"

Bishop stared at Raph, his expression unchanging. Raph's return look was unyielding and the agent realized that trying to mislead him was pointless.

"Four hours," Bishop finally answered. "After four hours they are to attempt to initiate contact and if that fails, they are to use force in order to re-acquire the lab."

Raph turned his head to glance at Don. "It's coming up on that now."

"How do we call them off?" Don asked.

"You don't," Bishop answered in a smug tone. "I'm the only one who can issue that command and I won't do it from this prone position."

"So much for trusting ya' ta let us out of here without a fight," Raph growled. "There's no way I'm letting ya' off that table."

"Secret exit," Leo murmured.

"What?" Raph asked.

Leo swallowed and lifted his head. "There has to be a back way out. Bishop's exit."

"It's good to hear your voice, Leonardo," Bishop said unctuously. "You appear to be recovering nicely from our mutual experience. This new body feels absolutely wonderful, I wish I could experience it completely, but your brother apparently has a thing for bondage."

Raph ignored the dig and asked, "Is that right, Bishop? Is there another way out of here?"

"Leonardo is an astute strategist, if he believes that to be true, then there must be another way out," Bishop said. "If you haven't found it before now, you aren't going to find it without my assistance."

"And if you don't tell us how to get out of here, I'm not going to provide you with the name of the compound that your new body requires to finalize the stabilization process," Don said.

Bishop's head jerked to the side so that he could see Donatello. The purple banded Turtle met the man's gaze unflinchingly.

Leo felt a surge of pride when he realized what his brother had done, commenting softly, "Don may be a genius, but he's also a ninja."

"You tampered with my body?" Bishop asked, his voice harsh and his eyes still glued to Donatello. "How?"

"A simple marker inserted during the last stages of cell growth," Don told him. "Almost like a command sequence required by a computer for it to complete a task. Your new bonding molecules are the purest that I could replicate, but they require a last infusion of one particular compound to completely stabilize them."

Bishop's face darkened for a moment, anger obvious on a visage that normally showed no emotion. Then his brow smoothed and Bishop said, "Are you proposing a trade?"

"Call off your men and tell us how to get out through the secret exit," Don said. "We'll take Dr. Garcia with us and once we're safe we'll send him back with the information you need. You'd better decide quickly because you only have forty-five minutes left before breakdown begins to occur."

"I suppose I'm to be left here tied to this table?" Bishop asked.

"We wouldn't want ya' ta start getting any notions about following us," Raph said. "Not that I wouldn't mind kicking your ass."

"Not that I couldn't handle you any day of the week, I'm guessing that type of physical activity would be of further detriment to the stabilization process," Bishop said.

"It would," Don said.

"Raph," Leo said, breaking into the conversation once more, "bring me my gear and then tie up the two lab assistants. We don't want them freeing Bishop while Dr. Garcia is gone."

"What about him?" Raph asked, his sai still at Bishop's throat.

"I'll cover him with my sword while Don repairs the strap on his arm. He won't break them before Dr. Garcia returns," Leo said.

Raph slowly backed away from Bishop, his eyes fixed on Leo. His brother still looked very weak, but also very determined, pulling out of Don's hold in order to walk closer to Bishop's table on his own.

Don immediately began to work on the loosened strap and Raph wasted no more time. Grabbing Leo's gear, Raph handed a katana to his brother and placed the rest of his things on the table next to Bishop's. Leaving it to Don to help Leo get dressed, Raph started gathering up electrical cords to use for tying up the technicians, not at all concerned with what he broke while yanking the cords loose.

The technicians both whimpered as Raph expertly bound their arms and legs together. In no way concerned with their comfort, Raph made sure that the only way to free the men would be to cut them loose.

Grabbing Dr. Garcia's arm, Raph dragged the man to his feet and pulled him over to Bishop's table. Leo had a firm and unshaking grip on his sword, holding it just above Bishop's neck as Don finished tying Leo's blue mask for him.

"Don't you want to thank me, Leonardo?" Bishop asked, his eyes darting from Leo to Don and back. "I doubt if you would have made such a life changing discovery without my assistance."

"The only thing I'll thank you to do is to leave my family alone," Leo said calmly.

"You really can't blame me for doing what was necessary for my own self-preservation," Bishop said.

"Hey Donny, go activate the communications system so Bishop can tell his men ta stay out of here," Raph said. "I wouldn't wanna have ta accidently end Bishop's miserable existence right when he's in the middle of crowing about it."

Don crossed the room quickly and typed a series of commands into the computer. Almost immediately the communications systems crackled to life and a deep voice asked, _"Agent Bishop sir? Security procedure Tau nu one has been activated. Can you tell me your status?"_

Leo and Raph stared expectantly at Bishop, who pursed his lips in distaste before answering, "Our status is secure commander. Stand down immediately."

_"By whose authority, sir?"_ the commander asked.

"Agent John Bishop. Episcopacy," Bishop replied.

_"Very good sir. Standing down."_

Don ended the communication and locked down the terminal again before rejoining his brothers.

"Okay Bishop, we're at the home stretch now," Raph said, maintaining his iron grip on Dr. Garcia's arm. "Where's that secret exit of yours?"

When Bishop hesitated, Don drew closer to him and said, "Thirty-eight minutes."

"Leonardo was correct; I should not have underestimated your ruthlessness," Bishop said with a hint of humor. "Below the lip of the table that your brother was on is a button. It's on the side nearest this table."

Don stooped down and looked under the table, finding the button where Bishop said it would be. Reaching over, Don pressed the button and then jumped back as the table shuddered and started sliding across the floor.

As the table slid out of the way, a narrow set of stairs was revealed, leading down into darkness.

"There are photo sensors lights scattered along the route so that you can see where you're going," Bishop said. "The tunnel goes down one level, then you'll follow a straight route for several yards before another set of stairs winds its way upward again."

"Where does it come out?" Leo asked.

"Across the street," Bishop answered. "The print shop is a false front; you'll come up in the middle of an empty building. There are two cars inside, both with keys in their ignitions."

"Yeah, and they both probably have tracking devices stuck to 'em somewhere," Raph said.

"It doesn't matter," Don said. "We'll call Mikey and have him meet us in the van once we're far enough away. I don't want Leo to walk any more than he has to."

"I'm fine, Donny," Leo said.

"Remember that when we're climbing five stories worth of stairs," Don told him.

"When will you send Dr. Garcia back?" Bishop asked.

"As soon as we're topside again," Leo answered, watching as Raph led the doctor to the stairs and started him on his way down.

Sheathing his katana, Leo started his descent, followed closely by Don.

"Donatello," Bishop called.

Don stopped and looked over at Bishop. "What?"

"If you ever get a brilliant idea about how to create regenerative macromolecules, I'll make it worth your while to tell me," Bishop said.

"I'm pretty sure I won't be thinking about it anymore in this lifetime, Agent Bishop," Don said as he exited the lab.

Just as Bishop had told them, lights flickered on as they traversed the tunnel. Raph shoved Dr. Garcia whenever the man started to lag.

The steps leading upwards twisted and turned almost like a spiral staircase and Don worried that Leo wasn't strong enough to make the climb. As though reading his mind, Leo looked back over his shoulder and winked at his younger brother.

They made it to the street level without incident, coming up into what looked like a giant garage. Two cars were parked inside just as Bishop had said and other than that the place was deserted.

"Okay doc," Raph said, spinning Dr. Garcia towards the tunnel they had just exited. "Get your ass back ta your boss and I would suggest ya' move as fast as ya' can."

Don helped a now completely exhausted Leo into the back seat of one of the cars and then said, "I sealed the name of the compound Bishop needs in an envelope and taped it under the seat of the chair I was using. Tell him to do exactly what it says and he'll be fine."

Dr. Garcia wasted no words on them as he fled back into the tunnel. Raph strode over to the car and climbed in behind the wheel while Don took a seat in the back next to Leo.

The car started without a hitch and Raph drove towards the set of double doors that were directly in front of them. Just as he was about to put the car into park so he could jump out and open the doors, a red light flashed on his console and the doors slid apart on their own.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Dr. Garcia removed the straps from Bishop's arms and torso, then went in search of the envelope Don had hidden as Bishop sat up to work on the straps that were around his legs. His new body felt fantastic; strong and healthy, but he knew that wouldn't last long if he didn't have the compound that the genius Turtle had withheld from him.

Leaping from the table, Bishop crossed the lab to where Dr. Garcia stood holding the envelope and snatched it from the doctor's hand. Bishop quickly ripped open the envelope, letting it fall to the ground as he pulled out the folded slip of paper that was inside. Flipping it open, Bishop swiftly read over the printed words, his eyes widening in shocked surprise.

"What does it say?" Dr. Garcia asked, curious at the usually stoic agent's reaction.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Urine?" Raph asked incredulously. "Ya' made it so he has ta drink pee?"

"Yep," Don answered, his mischievous grin rivaling Michelangelo's.

"How much?" Raph asked as his own mouth lifted into a smile.

"A gallon," Don said.

Raph was now laughing and he could hear Leo's as his oldest brother joined in his mirth. When he was finally able to talk again, Raph said, "I told Bishop he shouldn't make ya' mad. You're a real piece of work, Donatello. There ain't anybody quite like ya'."

Leo was gazing at Don's profile with appreciative eyes. "I agree with you wholeheartedly, Raph. Don is one of a kind."

Raph glanced into the rearview mirror and saw that his brothers were holding hands and staring at each other. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Oh shit, go ahead and kiss. I'll watch the road. Ya' better get it out of your systems before we meet up with the others; at least until ya' break the news ta them."

"Thanks Raph," Leo said. "I wanted to tell you . . . ."

"Shut up and tell me how great I am later," Raph said with a grin. "Ya' got about five minutes before we meet up with Mikey and ya' ain't gonna get a minutes piece after that. Make the most of it."

"I fully intend to," Leo whispered, leaning in towards Don. "For the rest of my life."

The End


End file.
